Destiny's Play
by Ashia21
Summary: Does it count as going against fate if fate itself was the one that brought you there to change it? You can delay all you want. You can ignore your role and live your life. But there ain't no stopping this little game of wills. because the card has now been played, and the Joker steps forth.
1. Stage of Rebirth

**Hello People of the Magi universe! I'm new here, but I've always wanted to make a fanfic about Magi! It's a shame that there aren't a lot of stories out there, I could guess because it was hard to weave a story between the original story, since it's so compact. I decided to do an OC fanfic because A.) I had never done and OC story before, and wanted to broaden my skill B.) I got the inspiration from one of the most reviewed stories here called Enigma, and C.) I had the idea in the back of my mind for too long, it's preventing me from writing the chapters of my other fanfics.**

**I doubt this will get reviews immediately, but I hope to see reviews once I add more chapters.**

**Oh, and the OC? Ain't based on anyone, okay? Don't go thinking it's me, this is not a Self-Insert.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Original characters of Magi or the setting, just my OC.**

* * *

Destiny's Play

Chapter 1:

Stage of Rebirth

.

Her name is 'Shirin'

* * *

So I died.

Yeah.

No really, it's scarier than how I'm telling it. It _hurts like hell._

Let me rewind my tale to the end.

My name is Leia; I was once the head doctor in this certain hospital and specialized in brain surgery, but after a certain incident I stepped down and became a pharmacist in this backwater town. Despite my profession, I admit that I was pretty childish when I don't have to be an adult, and wasted those rare times reading manga and watching anime like the shameful closet otaku I was. I had a relatively normal – but weird in its own way – household including an older sister, a younger brother, my parents, aunt, and cousin. Since my sister was often busy with her own life, coming to and from home spastically, I tend to be the one that my mother relies on when it came to financial support after I got better, which I don't mind since I like spending money for my family's sake. I rarely had time for me to socialize like any other normal human out there, but I really can't say that I regretted much.

So when I died, I found out that I regretted _a lot_

It was the end of the day; I was tasked to close the shop by my boss since the one who was supposed to close it tonight called sick. It was late night and I wanted to get back home as fast as possible, getting a cab was _shit _at these hours here and I never felt fine being away from home too long, away from people I trust and felt familiar with. Paranoid, yes, but I heard enough stories about rape and hold ups on these dark nights to paint that image in my head. So I was in such a hurry to lock the door that I didn't realize that I wasn't the only person on the street anymore.

I only noticed when I felt a gun being pointed at me

_Fuck_

"Unlock the door," The thief, a man, probably in the twenties or older from what my panicking mind could tell, said as he shoved the muzzle harder on the back of my head, I gulped as I fiddled with the keys in my hands in panic, doing what he ordered me to do.

_Fuck!_

The man pushed me inside and tied my hands with rope, only then did he turn his head to get the numerous medicines and drugs stacked on top of the shelves in an orderly fashion into a large, burlap sack, not caring which one he was getting. In the back of my mind, I noticed the worn out and desperate light in his eyes and realized that he may actually have someone he cared for who needed it.

Not that I cared at the moment, I just wanted to get out.

I fiddled with the rope binding my wrists, they were surprisingly loose. The guy didn't have any experience with binding people yet, that's good. I carefully undid the knot without letting the man know. Once it was done, I slowly took the phone in my pocket, I have to run, but I have to tell my Boss first, I don't want the consequences of me leaving the shop with a thief inside to bite me on the butt when this is all over.

Don't want to lose my job after all.

_[Thief] _I texted the single word and sent to my boss, knowing that it was enough to set off the alarms that needed to be set off. When I noticed the thief going inside our storage rooms, I leaped into action and opened the hidden compartment under the cash register and took out my Boss' tranquilizer gun. Apparently, it wasn't the first time thieves would try to rob us, since we were placed in a rather questionable neighborhood. So Boss would keep a tranquilizer gun to subdue them, he even taught us how to use it and where to get it in case we end up in a desperate situation.

Like this one.

I held the gun in my left hand as I crept into the room, my heart beating fast and my mind telling me to _stop being a Fucking Idiot and run already! _

Yeah, my flight or fight is a bit cuckoo.

I heard shuffling in one of the rooms and peeked inside, finding the man shoving everything in. Okay Leia, you can do this, you won't die, and you won't kill, just shoot the guy with the tranquilizer and _ohmygod he's turning around!_

I shot in fright, barely hitting the man's neck. Yes! A hit! I saw the man slump slowly to the ground as my worries evaporated and made way to pride a relief. God! It's over! I did it! Now I can go ho-

A gunshot was heard, followed by an intense pain. I looked down to where the pain was, and realized that it was coming from the bleeding hole in my chest, I looked up and saw the man holding his gun, pointed at my chest, before slumping completely and falling unconscious.

God…no

_God, nonononononono!_

_Why?!  
_

_WHY?!_

All coherent thought left me and I slumped to the ground, crying in pain as the bleeding continued, why didn't I run?! I'm so stupid! Now I'm going to die! _I'm going to die!_

I'm going to die before I could see my brother graduate

I'm going to die before I see my sister get married

I'm going to die before we could go abroad like I **promised**

**I'm going to die before I could get home**

_God…_

_I don't want to die._

_This sucks…_

_Stop…_

But in the end, everything was enveloped in shadows.

* * *

_There are things in this world that have yet to be understood by us mortals. Things like the mysteries of the oceon to the questions scattered in the endless abyss of the universe. Still, mankind has fought to understand them._

_But there were some things that were just truly incomprehensible to the human mind._

_The afterlife, I suppose, is one of them._

_There were many before our birth who thought to give people an image of what the afterlife would be like, from the gates of heaven and hell, to the endless cycle of reincarnation towards the path to Nirvana. Humans have given humans their own view of what comes after life. _

_For me…_

_I remember nothing, suffocating nothing._

_I had tried to scream, but found that I had no throat. I had tried to cry, but found that I had no eyes. I had tried to struggle in this empty space, but found that I had neither arms nor legs to call my own. I had searched to see something, but saw nothing. I had searched to hear something, but heard nothing. I had searched within myself for even a trace of something, but found nothing._

_No matter how hard I tried, there was absolutely nothing to find, just a single speck of consciousness against a sickening lack of anything. It was not warm, not cold, not frightening, and not pleasant. It's simply __**is**__._

_For this…was death…_

_Than…slowly, I saw a small glowing bird flutter past me, I reached out to it, not wondering why I couldn't see my hand, or where the bird like creature came from, and followed it through the black void in an almost desperate manner._

_That single bird was like the sun finally coming to greet me._

_Then more appeared, then more, until a path of white birds was made, I followed the path to a white light._

_I saw a hand grabbing hold of mine. And a voice seemed to whisper to me. _

…_what is this…? It feels…so warm…_

Then it vanished

…Huh…?

I was scared, what happened to the light? What happened to me? I felt myself being enclosed into a tight and murky space. My hysteria was acting up again – which I felt relieved since it meant I could feel again. What's happening?! I suddenly felt so sluggish and weak. I wriggled and kicked, but I couldn't seem to do anything. I couldn't even open my eyes.

I couldn't do anything but sleep.

After who knew how long, I started hearing voices, muddled and unclear in a language I was positive was not English. What's happening out there? Why are they keeping me in here? I tried screaming, but it was no use, forget speaking, it hurt to even open my mouth. The only solace I had were those mysterious white birds that led me to this situation. I really want to hate them, but for some reason, I can't. They were the only things keeping my sanity from cracking completely, and I couldn't stop myself from being familiar.

Now that I think about it, they look familiar…I remember seeing them somewhere, but where?

I was eventually let out, but not in the way I expected…

First, the bird like things started fluttering around me, like it was protecting me or something. I then felt my body being _squeezed _through something, and something in my belly button being cut off, before being handed to a pair of warm arms. I would have been hysterical at the moment, I mean _I just felt a body part being removed _but I didn't, because something in the back of my mind recounted the events that happened in horror.

_Squeezes, part cut off, __**being small enough to be handed to someone.**_

God, I would have never graduated from medical school – from _high school_ – if I didn't recognize the procedure of _childbirth. _

And I'm the _child ._

_What. The. __**Fucking**__. Hell. Happened?!_

* * *

You could guess my reaction once I realized just where I was before this all happened.

Okay, deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhal- _Oh fucking dammit! I give up! Infants can't even breath properly yet! Gaaaah!_

I did not take being reborn lightly.

Okay, Leia, think. You're capable of that, right?! (Although it should be impossible for a baby whose brain is still developing to have this much stored already, I will get to the bottom of that one day) Let's do a recap before your brain implodes from the situation! What happened?! Okay, I was closing the shop cause boss told me to, and then-

_A robber shot me and I died._

…well that was a bombshell.

I wanted to scream in mutiny. Because _what the hell, life?! _Why'd I have to die in the first place?! I was only Thirty two! _Thirty Two!_

God, what would my family do if they find out?! Dad's going to get a stroke again and mom might go in depression! Who would pay for my brother's tuition fee?! Who would be there if dad gets stroke again?! I don't even know if my sis can handle the expenses! Gah, this was _not _the time to die! Of all the fucking times!

_Well at least I only died by gunshot-_

No. Bad, Leia. Bad.

Gah…hah…hah….Deep breath, Leia…deep breath…

Okay…I'm calm now…lets…look at our surroundings first…

…So where am I anyways? Everything seems so…ancient Chinese…even the place I was born didn't even have surgical tools, just knives and such. Adding that to the fact that the clothes everyone wore looked too natural to have any form of polyester in it, it was like I traveled back through time. The only reason why I didn't think that was the case was because of those weird, bird-like things that were fluttering around _everywhere._

_It's like I'm in another world._

Can that really happen? Am I really in another world? Well, if reincarnation is possible, why not different worlds? No use closing my mind when I'm living proof that there is more to the world that meets the eye, Right? Well…huh. I still can't accept the fact that I just died and got reborn though.

_(I lost everyone again…)_

I put aside my grievances to think about my predicament. There's no way I could go back to my old life anymore. I have to learn more about this new place. Maybe if I do that, I'll find out why the hell I was reborn in the first place.

Unless, of course, this is what normally happens when someone dies. Either way, I want to find out. It's not like I don't want to anyways, cause I have to admit, after the initial shock of dying and being reborn, every part of me was just _wowed _by the idea that I was in a new world. Seriously, it's like- something that only happens in fanfiction and manga! The sky, the streets, the people, the plants, everything just looked so new to me. If I wasn't a baby and was constantly locked between my new mother's arms, I would have learned to walk and started my journey through this magnificent world, one toddle at a time.

Even though the arms cradling me wasn't the mother that gave birth to me

For all my hysteria (Really, my high school friends used to call me _hytse-leia_ with how easy it was for things to get me hysterical. Could you imagine how embarrassing that was?!) I had enough tact to see the face of the woman who gave birth to me. From what I could tell, she had really black hair which landed on her shoulders, two hair buns were on both sides of her head, the hair was all messed up because of what she had to go through just a few seconds ago, but I had to admit she was beautiful.

But what got me were her eyes, they were so _motherly. _They almost reminded me of my mother's eyes, if it weren't for the fact that they were _really red, _like _ruby red_. They were so unreal that I almost missed the tears starting to damp her eyes and the hint of sadness growing larger by the second. This caused my momentary hysteria to quell as she looked at me and gently cradled me in her arms, whispering sadly to me.

"Shirin," She whispered to herself as she looked at me, the tears beginning to fall, and I paused for the second because she wasn't _speaking_ in_ English _and if that's the case_, why could I understand her?_ "My wonderful Shirin…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," She started crying as she hugged me tighter, I would have thought of how dangerous it was to do that to a newly born child, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything but look at her.

_What's happening now? _I thought wearily. Wasn't being reborn enough of a trauma?

I saw a man and a woman come forward, the woman said something I couldn't hear due to the whimpering of my mother, but when the man came towards us and placed his hand on her shoulder, my new mother looked up, an almost feral panic clearly shown in her body language as the white birds surrounding us fluttered haphazardly.

I almost wished I didn't understand what was going on after that.

"Please! Let me keep her!" She cried as she looked up at the man "My husband will never know! Please, don't make me abandon her!"

But the man, a tall black haired man with red eyes – though not as red as the one cradling me – shook his head sadly "And if he does find out? How do you think he would feel if he found out that you accidentally gave birth to the child of his friend while he was at war? He will surely be heartbroken, and neither of us wants that," Gently, he stocked my tiny head "At the very least, this is a better solution than killing her,"

My eyes widened, no…don't tell me…

I'm a love child?! An _accidental_ love child?!

Before the thought could sink in, I was gently pulled away from my mother's embrace and into the arms of the other woman. She looked at me with a smile, but it did not reach her eyes.

That woman is the person holding me right now.

I can tell she doesn't like me, and while it was understandable, it didn't stop it from being downright rude. She never lets me outside unless my father suggested to her. She hated it when I made even the slightest of noise. And she would only smile at me when we weren't alone, then she would start frowning and cursing slightly at me for being "proof of my husband's unfaithfulness" or "dirty blood" or sometimes even "child of a whore"

Nope. I don't like her either. Not. One. Bit.

* * *

Around a whole year had passed since I was reborn in this place, and I still have no idea where I was.

It doesn't help that my _sorry excuse of a replacement mother _never bothered to teach me anything. And my new father is always working; I never even got a chance to see my real mother again. It was boring, the only thing I could do was to re-learn how to do things I could do unconsciously in my previous life when the evil stepmother-but-not-really-stepmother was busy with something.

No really, that was the only thing I could do, aside from play with the bird like things at least.

Really, what are these things? Whenever I saw the things swirl around father and the woman, they never seemed to notice it.

As if they couldn't see it.

I frowned. I have this nudging feeling in the back of my head that told me that I knew what these are, but for the hell of me, I couldn't piece the puzzle pieces together. I was taught not to jump to conclusions by one of my professors, but since I only had myself and the people I lived with, I couldn't even think of a hypothesis!

That was before I met the village witch doctor.

Confused? Well it all started with my refusal to speak my first word in front of the adults. I could already speak to an extent due to my constant practicing (Let me tell you, it's _hard, _god, I didn't realize how hard it must have been for infants to say their first word, I am never going to force a kid to speak when they can't for the rest of my life) but I only practiced when I'm actually alone, I never made a sound in front of any of them because 1. The woman hated hearing me gurgle, and 2. I'm almost always with said woman.

As much as I hated her, I hate making unnecessary enemies.

My father grew worried about my lack of sound and took me to the village witch doctor. If it wasn't for the pang of guilt I got from making maybe the only person that cared for me worried, I would have taken more notice at my surrounding. This is the first time in a while that I saw the sky and also the first time I was brought so far from my house. I did, however take note of the old eastern styled buildings and a particular crest that seems to appear _everywhere. _I'm not quite sure what it meant, but that nudge in the back of my head just grew.

Where have I seen that Chinese emblem before?

My thoughts however were halted when we arrived at the house of the witch doctor, I heard father tell the old man about how I should be able to speak now, but I couldn't, as he gave me worried glances. But what the elder only took me from his arms and looked at me, a smile wrinkling his aging face.

"Now what do we have here? You are quite an odd little girl, aren't you?" I blinked in confusion. What is he doing? Does he think he can coax me into speaking? But my guesses were wrong when I realized he was looking at something around me.

_The white birds._

"Do not worry, boy," The elder said as he handed me back to my confused father "It is merely not her time to speak to you yet. There is nothing wrong with her. In fact, I expect her to do great things in her life," he looked back at me with a tender and almost knowing smile as he patted my head.

"After all, this child is loved by the Rukh,"

…

…

…

…what? D-did he just say what I think he said?!

N-no way! No matter how much it makes sense, it's impossible! Why?! Because…Because Rukh…

Because Rukh was part of a _manga._

Not just any manga, but _Magi. _As in the world of blue giants, king vessels, and political warfare.

It all made sense now, the white birds, why people couldn't see them, that strange Chinese symbol I saw while passing through here-

_Oh God _I just realized something, where I saw that symbol.

It was the symbol of the _freaking Kou Empire._

_I was reborn into the Magi world in the freaking Kou Empire._

Wahhh…what did I do to deserve this?

* * *

Oh, but that wasn't the end of it _oh hell no. _

It was only the beginning of this weird role fate had given me.

A month after our visit to the Witch Doctor (And a month after I had sorrowfully admitted that I was in a very dangerous world, dammit) my father, for the first time since the incident, took me with him outside. I guess the event caused his parental side to kick in and started having more time with me. I was ecstatic about this, and had rewarded his change with my first words I said to him like the awesome person I am.

"Papa!"

And no, I didn't think he was a bear hugger until it really happened. Thank God – Or is it thank Solomon now? I don't know anymore – the she devil was there to break us up before I lost consciousness.

But anyways, this was still the first time in the month that he brought me outside, I was really excited, where was he going to take me? Oh! I hope he buys me a scroll! The scrolls at home suck! I don't even care

about how that she devil had to come with us!

But that wasn't the case. Instead of going to a store, I, the woman, and my Father went to a house that looked eerily familiar. Only when Father knocked and the door was opened by a fairly handsome male with black hair tied to a long braid did I realize where we were.

This was the house I was born in, my mother's house...

Gah, drama.

The man – Who I'm guessing was my mother's true husband – opened the door, smiling happily at the sight of his friend, my father.

"You came! Welcome!" The man said "Come in! Come in! It's been so long since you visited!" He said in a friendly manner, his long braid swishing around dangerously as he motioned us inside, the Rukh around him fluttering at his genuine happiness. I smiled slightly, this man has such white Rukh, and from what I remember from the manga, that meant that he was a good person. I suddenly understood why my parents didn't want to hurt him,

I gave a yelp when he suddenly turned and squatted right in front of me, before giving me a bright and friendly smile.

"Now who's this little rabbit?" He asked playfully, he's hand taking mine softly and shaking it in a playful manner. His hands were rough, is he a soldier or something? "Hi there, little rabbit! My name is Lee. What's your name?"

I heard father chuckle. It's either he saw this man's – Lee – introduction as humorous, or he saw how taken aback I as from the sudden introduction, probably a little of both. "That's Shirin, she's my daughter,"

Lee seemed to pause for a moment; before he suddenly erupted is surprise "EH? Your Daughter?! Since when?!" The man looked back at me, before looking back to my father "She looks to be a year old right? Why didn't you tell me when I came back?" The man said playfully, through a hint of hurt was seen in his eyes.

Oh, I guess the reason why I was hidden was also because he easily gets gloomy.

"Hah, sorry," Father said, crouching down to ruffle both of our heads ("Hey! Don't mess with the hair!" The man said. I fought the urge to agree) "Shirin here was born with a weak body at first, so we couldn't really let you come in the house or take her out," I blinked, was he…lying? "When I had the chance, I took her to the witch doctor. The doctor was able to heal her,"

Wow, if I didn't know better, I would have believed him too.

Dad's a good liar.

After that my Father started chatting with the man with the she devil looking like she would rather be somewhere else, and a nudge started appearing in the back of my head again as I stared at his face, it looked…familiar, like I've seen it somewhere…

But where? It couldn't be in this current life, I was rarely let out! But I don't remember such a low standing person like him being seen in the manga…

But that _face._

Then it hit me.

Oh

OH

That hair! That braid! I only saw the actual guy in a few flashbacks, but that face was indistinguishable! This guy!

This guy was the father of Judar! Hah! I think I got it for once! And it didn't take me whole year too! Woooh!

…wait

…If this guy is Judar's _father, _and the woman who actually gave birth to me was his _legal wife, _then doesn't that mean…?

…

No

NO

FUCK NO

MOTHERFUCKING NO

NONONO! The hell?! Why?! How did I-?! HOW DID I-?!

"Dear? Are those visitors?" I heard the familiar voice of the woman who was supposed to be my mother in this world. But when I turned around to see her, I found that I was too preoccupied by the baby she was carrying in her arms to notice the shocked expression she got at seeing me.

I know. It's a bit unfeeling of me to just ignore her but the _baby!_

The Rukh surrounding the child was like a hurricane of white birds, just like mine are, but no one in this room aside from me and the boy in my mother's arms seemed to know of this connection.

Even when the baby looked at me and tried to reach out with his little stubby arms, I was still frozen in shock.

My name is Leia, now Shirin, and I don't know _how, _I don't _why. _But fate decided that I should play a part in her play.

_As the freaking half-sister of Judar, the black magi._

…I wonder if I could get a discount in reincarnated lives right about now.

* * *

**Done! I hope I didn't make it too…short? Oh well, I hope to make it longer in the next chapter.**

** Bet no one was expecting her to be Judar's half-sister, then again, you can expect almost anything when it comes to OC stories. **

**Now about the name Shirin, so to not change the groove of the manga, I named her after a character from One thousand and one nights. **

**Welll…yeah, that's all I remembered wanting to say…so…**

**Please Read and Review!**


	2. Stage of Indecision

**Hello Fanfiction readers! To those who saw the original one, sorry I took it out, I wasn't satisfied with it...well I don't really have much to say really. So I'll get on with the story**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any character or place here that was said in the anime or manga, I do however, own my OC's.**

* * *

Destiny's Play

Chapter 2:

Stage of Indecision

.

And the Tragedy of Fate

* * *

Did you know? Research shows that the average newborn is often born with a monkey-strength grip. The cause of this reflex is actually known as the palmer grasp, which is the term used for infants who try to grab anything that touched their hands. To put a long story short, there have been instances where the infant's grip is actually strong enough to support his own weight if you dangle him, and it does indeed hurt if you come in contact to this vice grip. Let that sink in for a moment…

Now, Imagine said infant with said monkey grip pulling on the hair of a one-year olds' scalp. For those who can't imagine it, I'll literate it for you in the simplest way possible.

It motherfucking _hurts._

I grumbled incoherently as I fought again the urge to curse and wail. I am _this _close to setting the record of youngest person to ever cuss out loud, I'd damn well hope that there's actually prize money for that too.

"_Haha!"_

I sank lower onto the padded floor in defeat as the infant sprawled himself on top of me and renewed his vigor in playing with my hair. I have to say though; it's quite surprising to find out that a week old child like Judar was actually able to muster enough strength to climb on top of me in the first place. Of course, given that I was already able to see things and hear sound properly as an infant, it might just be normal.

"Ju-ju~," I whined from below him, I could feel my arms numbing from the weight "Out~," As if responding to my call, Judar stopped pulling my hair, and almost thought he understood what I just said.

Seconds later, he started pulling harder.

I sank deeper onto the ground.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the Rukh flutter like a bunch of butterflies.

"Well now," A voice came from above. I tilted my head up as high as I could get it only to meet the eyes of a playful and energetic young warrior "Seems like you two are getting along nicely,"

Despite perhaps being mentally older than him by at let a couple of years, I couldn't stop the huff of frustration from escaping my through and coming out as a pout. The man – Lee, I think that's what he said his name was – only laughed and tousled the part of my hair that wasn't being pulled obsessively by his own infant son.

"Haha! That face you make looks exactly like the ones your mother would give me when she thinks I said something stupid!" He said with a good natured grin as he carefully took the flailing infant off my back and helped me up. I did my best to hide my reaction at his statement. "And here I thought you didn't get anything from her and instead got it all from Ziang!"

I nodded thanks but didn't really say anything, too focused on getting my hair untangled. It had gotten surprisingly long around the seventh month since I was born, and yet not a single one of these adults thought that I needed a haircut, or even a piece of cloth to tie it with. Lee laugh at the sight before putting Judar down beside us gently and getting a nearby comb.

"Let me comb your hair now. Ziang would kill me if I let his daughter's hair stick out like this, after all," He said jokingly as he began combing the tips of my hair with the wooden comb, cutting me off when I started to protest "He'd probably turn into a big angry Djinn and eat poor Lee whole!"

I huffed in embarrassment "No," It was _way_ more likely for that woman he calls his wife to end up being the Djinn "Harmless,"

Lee seemed to pause at the rather complicated term I used as an infant before shrugging and continuing his work "Your Papa's way scarier than you know him, ya know," He paused again, before adding "But that just means he's scary enough to drive away the baddies who might try to hurt you and your mother,"

I only hummed in response, vaguely remembering the worn down sword and armor I saw him polish while that woman – Yui, I think was her name – was taking me my bed. Perhaps he was a scarier person in the past. But I honestly don't see that in him anymore. Instead, I decided to ask a harmless question.

"Is uncle a scary person?"

"You got that right, little rabbit!" The adult seemed to grin, not all disturbed by the odd and misplaced question "Anyone who can hold a sword or carry a wand is a scary person, you know. But that just depends on whether or not you want to think of them as scary!"

"…Course, there are some guys who are scarier without a weapon," He said with a more quite and serious tone. It makes me wonder if he was also matching it with a frown "Those are the guys you want to stay away from, little rabbit. Because people like them know how to kill you without lifting a finger,"

I blinked and opened my mouth to speak, when another voice cut me off.

"Dear! How many times have I told you not to talk about things like that in front of children?!" A voice rang from our right, causing both of us to turn to greet the presence of the man's wife, Sakaya, looking down at her husband in anger. Said husband only laughed as he finished combing out the tangles in my hair and then patting it with his hand.

"I disagree at that!" He said with a cheerful tone "Things like these should be the ones children learn first in my opinion! Don't want them to grow up reckless after all!" I watched as his wife let out a sigh of resignation before giving the two of us a weary smile, one that was returned with more gusto by her husband. Ever since my father and my step mother introduced me to Judar's family (and my half family), the woman would come by and make my mother babysit me while she went to who knows where.

_(…that sounds like it should be in reverse…)_

Not that my mother disagrees with it. In fact, when the woman came here with me to give the idea, my mother pretty much cried in joy and squished the woman in a bear hug of gratitude. I didn't deny the giggling when I saw the shocked face of the woman; she obviously didn't like the physical contact. Not that my birth mother seemed to care about that fact anyways.

Of course, it would have been nice if I wasn't also being squished by her when that happened. But hey, beggars can't be choosers.

Let me tell you, compared to my days in that woman's arms, my time in Judar's home was like a whole new world. The two adults here would dot at me and care for me in ways my step mother never did. From Sakaya's gentle teachings to Lee's robust energy, I could easily say that my time here was vastly different from back home. One thing that bugged me though was the fact that both of them were always so careful with me in ways that were unnatural because of what my father said about my health conditions (Okay 1. He was completely and utterly lying then, even if a part of him believed that I was sick enough to need a visit to the witch doctor, and 2. As a doctor _and _a pharmacist in my past life, I am insulted). But either than that, they were as loving and caring as a parent should be to a child.

Maybe that's why…it just feels so wrong being with them.

D-Don't get me wrong! I love people like them! Guys who were sincerely kind and caring were really rare back in my old world, and I respect the ones who could give it their all to care for someone! It's just that…not only are they reminding me way too much of my own parents, but being cooed on while having the mentality of a 32 year of woman in rather disturbing to say the least. Honestly, I really just feel out of place here.

_Almost makes me want to go back to that woman at least I don't have to pretend that I was a baby in front of her and stay as quiet as I liked._

I shook my head to wipe away my thoughts, deciding to think of something else.

Like, say, how the hell a cute little baby like Judar would eventually become one of the antagonists, and a damn strong one at that.

No seriously, he's cute! As in, really, really cute! He's all bright and bubbly and just so adorable! _Kyaaa_!_ Fangirling_! (I coughed twice and turned my head to hide my red face from Judar's father) Really he's that cute! I couldn't resist! On the times when mother goes and rest for a moment and his father goes out to work, I would cuddle the black haired infant softly and play with his hair (he didn't have much hair yet, but even now, it was surprisingly soft and fluffy). The only thing that really irks me is the fact that he loves pulling my hair and wouldn't let go of it unless it's his father that removes him.

It doesn't help that he also seems to like me since he would always try to reach out for me with his doll sized hands whenever my Rukh comes into his vision, and I have a wide spread of Rukh.

_Speaking of which…why is there so much Rukh around me?_

And why can I see them?

Judar is a given. He's one of the three magi born to lead a king and create a country. They are specifically known by the world as the strongest type of magician due to their unlimited access to the world's magoi. I on the other hand…well it would be very funny if I was a magi, but that's just ridiculous. Maybe I could see the rukh because I was born a magician? …no, I don't know…I don't really know much about how people find out that their magicians in the first place, so I'm a bit early in jumping into conclusions.

But then what am I? What am I doing here? Why am I loved by the Rukh? Is there any other person aside from the Magi (Magis? Magus? Eh?) Who aren't magicians but are equally loved by the Rukh?

…wait…there is one…

_Sinbad_

Right, Sinbad was a first class singularity when he was born, loved by the Rukh despite not being a Magi, he unconsciously uses it to, apparently, read the lines of the future or something like that…

_Am I similar to him in that sense?_

….no, I don't think so, Sinbad couldn't really see the Rukh per say, but he could apparently feel them. I on the other hand, could see them, but feel them? Hell if I know.

I sighed. Let's look at the facts here. I can see the Rukh, something normal people cannot do unless their magicians, but for some reason, I just can't see myself as a magician. Maybe I'm subconsciously giving an answer to my question, or maybe I just knew deep inside that it was impossible. Neither my mom nor dad could see Rukh, so they weren't magicians, meaning the chances of me being a magician is really low I think. Unless the thing that makes a magician a magician is something that is unrelated to blood…oh, but wasn't it shown that most of the magicians came from their own kind instead of normal Goi? But what if magic potential is actually similar to Harry Potter and it could appear in Goi too, only rarely? But if that's the case, why isn't this common knowledge then? I mean, unlike the society of wizards in the book, magicians are more open in terms of identity…I am so confused…

I frowned at that, pity. Being a magician sounded cool, I could have studied in Magnostadt and become a student or something. That place was the only one I knew that had an Academy too. I must be crazy, but I guess I just wanted to become student again, it's just so tiring being an adult and all, especially when you're a child again.

_Shame_

_Giggle!_

"?" I blinked when i heard the innocent giggles of my baby brother, who seemed to have gotten bored from my silence and blinked when I realized that his father was no longer beside us, but was instead talking animatly beside his wife a few feet away from us. Turning back towards the tiny infant, I blinked again when I felt the subtly feel of wings on my skin. Idly I reached up to touch whatever was on my forehead, feeling a familiarly odd sensation that I had come to associate to Rukh. I blinked one last time when I realized that there was a Rukh on my head; Judar must have placed it there while I was brooding.

Hah…only a year old and I'm already brooding. Go me.

I noticed after I got over the shock of being Judar's half-sister that Judar was really interested in my Rukh for some reason; I think it was because I was the only one aside from him that had so much Rukh, he doesn't get the fact that I'm an anomaly. He would often play with both of our Rukh as a form of entertainment when I mull over things like right now. Sigh, kids these days, playing with others Rukh without permission.

Wait, I'm a kid…_fail._

I wriggled my nose in discomfort, what? Rukh feels surprisingly similar to bugs when they land on you like this, a single Rukh on your forehead feels like there's a bunch of little crawling things covering your entire head. I can't even see said little thing. I was about to get it off by shaking my head when-

W-Wha-?!

**It sank into my skin**

What the-?! What happened?! Was that supposed to happen?! WHY DID THAT HAPPEN?!

_*Headache*_

Aghhhh, curse you! One year old mind!

I whined for a while as I clutched my tiny head _(Stupid under developed brain, Stupid confusing Rukh, Stupid talking to myself in baby talk_!) until I realized that something was missing. I looked up at the Rukh fluttering above the two of us innocently, and gasped slightly.

_I can't tell which ones are mine_

I noticed one day that while Rukh are known to be all encompassing and balanced to accommodate all, they tend to temporarily change when they come in contact with living things, such as plant life, animals, and of course, humans. When Rukh is surrounding a human, their signature changes slightly into something unique to that person alone, it's kinda like someone putting water randomly in two ceramic cups, one of them would always have more water of have cooler or warmer water to say they are completely identical.

For an example, whenever the rukh swarms around father Ziang, they would always swirl around haphazardly in random speeds, as if something was always troubling him or confusing him greatly. The rukh surrounding stepmother Yui on the other hand, is unsettlingly sparse for an average human being, not only that, they are always surprisingly quiet and rarely ever fly around, only hover silently. For Sakaya and Lee, their Rukhs felt both warm and unsettling. Lee, I could understand, apparently he just came back from a war. Sakaya on the other hand, might be a bit worried about me being the proof of a scandal she's done against her husband, so it was normal.

On the other hand, Judar's rukh is like a freaking' typhoon of pure light, constantly swirling and mixing with its surroundings to the point that it was almost impossible to tell which ones were his Rukh and which ones were from nature. It's rather suffocating due to how hard it was to see beyond the whirlwind of birds. Even if that was the case though, I would have still been able to tell which ones were mine due to how familiar I was with them. They always felt empty to me after all.

_But I can't tell which ones are mine_

I turned slightly to check on mother and Judar's father, sure enough, I was able to identify their warm nature just like before. So my sensory hasn't disappeared.

_So why can't I tell which ones are mine?_

Why can't I see the difference between me and Judar's Rukh anymore?

I looked back at the baby, who was completely unaware of my pondering and started to pull my hair again, obviously bored from my quiet contemplation again. Did it have something to do with that Rukh he placed on my forehead? What did he do? It almost seemed like he merged…our Rukh…together…

...

...

…

...No. No. That should be impossible.

I am damn sure that should be impossible!

It should be DAMN impossible!

I-I've never heard of anything like this happening before! Not in the manga, not in the anime, not even now! Is it even possible for two people's Rukh to merge together? I would have understood it a little bit more if we were twins, since there was a higher possibility for that happening, but me and Judar aren't even full siblings! I'm just his freakin' half sister! It doesn't make sense! The nearest similarity would be Alibaba and Kassim's magoi merging! But by then, Kassim had already died, so it was, in a harsh sense, just unused Rukh for Alibaba!

So how was this possible?!

My thoughts were broken by a pull of my sleeve. My head snapped painfully, only to meet eyes with wide and innocent orbs framed in chubby and delicate skin and tiny strands of black hair. For a moment, I almost thought he looked worried at the sight of my silence.

I sneered at my sheer idiocy. That shouldn't be possible, unlike me, Judar was growing up to become a normal boy. He doesn't have any foreknowledge about the events that would happen in the future.

But he will play a large part in making it, being a magi and all.

…because…he was…a magi…

My mind went blank when a thought surfaced.

He was…a magi.

In the story…he was going to become the black magi…a magi who was captured by Al Themen in his infant years after they tracked his birth in a rural village and…

…and…

I felt my breath escape me.

_Al Themen…destroys this village…and everyone in it._

_Everyone here is going to die_

I couldn't breathe.

_And I'm one of them._

* * *

"Lee! Sakaya! I'm here to bring Shirin home!"

_Everyone is going to die_

"Ah! Ziang! Where's Yui? I thought she would pick Shirin up?"

"You look tired there, tiger! Been cleaning the house again?"

_Everyone is going to die_

"Yui is busy in the library, I think she missed going there; too bad they didn't allow children there. And yeah, I just finished cleaning actually,"

_**And there's nothing I can do about it**_

"Shirin! Daddy's here for- Shirin?!"

I felt a pair of gentle arms wrap around me as if it could stop my shivers as masculine hands started wiping away the tears on my face delicately. All the while, I heard the soothing voice of a mother try to calm me down. But instead of her voice, I could only think of the voice of my real mother, and the hands of my real father.

_I want my mom_

"Shhh, it's okay, it's okay, see? Your daddy is here for you,"

_I want my dad_

"What's wrong, sweetie? Come one, daddy's here for you,"

_I want my big sister_

_I want my little brother_

_I want my aunt. I want my cousin_

"It's gonna be fine, nothing's going to happen to you,"

_I want my family back_

_I want them to wake me up again, like they always did_

_I want to GO back _

"I'll take her home now; maybe Yui will know something,"

"O-okay," I felt a pair of lips land lightly on my cheek "See you tomorrow, sunshine," I felt a pair of arms lift me gently off the ground and into his warm arms, my father, with his braided black hair and red eyes, gave me a calming smile as he said goodbye to my mother and younger half-brother, who I could vaguely tell was crying as he tried to reach out for me again.

"Shh, its okay, my little Ju-Ju," I heard my mother say as she tried to calm the upset Judar "She'll come back tomorrow, don't worry,"

_I don't want to die again_

I felt my father walk out of the house, going through a few streets before entering another familiar house. In there, the woman who I hated was reading a large and worn out scroll. Because of my hysteria, I didn't notice that the text in the scroll was in a language I didn't know of, which is odd since there should only be one common language in this world.

"Yui? Are you here? Could you help me with Shirin?"

_I don't want to die again_

"Hmm? What's wrong this time?" I felt more feminine arms lift me off my fathers, I found myself face to face with the woman. Never in either of my lives did I see such an odd woman. Compared to the small and fair skinned women of this humble Kou village, Yui stood out like a tree in a grass plane. She had dark olive skin and dark purple hair tied to a messy cloth bun that seemed to spike around the top of her hair. Her eyes, however, were the strangest of them all, as they stood out from her dark skin due to how yellow and cat like they were. Today, her features were blank, neither caring nor hateful, I had no idea how long we were like that, just staring at each other until…

_*whack!*_

"Y-Yui?!"

She flicked me!

She flicked me on the freakin' forehead! And it hurts! Like. Really. Hurts!

"There, she stopped," I heard the woman say as she lowered her hand, a metallic pointed thimble covering her index finger, ah! That must be the reason why it hurts like hell! I glared at the woman as I clutched my aching forehead, it must have been a cute sight, since my father laughed slightly.

"Haha, you shouldn't use something like that on kids, Yui, what if something went wrong?" He asked, and I paused for a moment because of his unclear sentence.

"Nope, I did not hear you question my abilities," She said "She's calm and quiet now, isn't she? Don't be such a protective father, no one ever like those types," I pouted at her easygoing personality, before realizing something. I _was_ calmer; it wasn't just from shock either, I actually felt a lot calmer than before, like I can overcome my ordeals if I sit back and think for a second, I looked up and blinked at the woman, who was still holding me as my father offered to set up dinner.

…what did she do…?

"Nothing good happens to people who panic," I blinked and looked up at her again "Calm that head of yours, and maybe you can actually do something useful for once," I pouted at her harsh words, but felt an inkling of warmth seep into my heart at her words.

Right, if I just calm down for a second, maybe I can think of something

Right! I can't give up now! I don't want to die again and all!

Due to my self-encouragement, I didn't notice the smile grazing the woman's lips as she looked at me.

Maybe there's hope yet.

* * *

An entire week had passed since that day

And I still have no fucking idea what I should do

Judar started pulling my hair again, and I turned to the infant child that was annoyingly asking for my attention. He's cute and all, but seriously, the amount of attention he wants from me is just weird. I wonder why he's so attached to me. I only started being with him a few months ago, and I've never seen him do the same for mom or his dad. Is it really just because of my Rukh?

…but I don't want to be involved with this…

I turned around to see mother, Sakaya, sleeping in her futon. I found out that she herself was surprisingly sickly at times due to some incident that happened when she was young. That's why she was rarely seen outside the house, but when she was out, she would always be accompanied by either Judar's dads, Lee, my dad, Ziang, or sometimes, Yui. I guess that's why she believed dad's story about me having a weak body.

She doesn't stand a chance against Al Themen.

No one here does.

I absentmindedly fiddled with Judar's hair, ignoring the whining face of the child as he tried to get my attention again. It only came in flashes in the anime, but no doubt they were able kill everyone in the village, or else a survivor could have escaped and told the rest of the world about what happened, putting the organization in jeopardy.

But what can I do? Even if I wasn't a one year old at the moment, I couldn't just tell everyone, thinking they would believe me. That would never work out in the end. Even if I take Judar away from the village, I could only go as far as my still toddling feat can carry me, plus, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't stop them from killing everyone here just to search for him. I can't go far anyways; this village is probably smack middle of the Kou Empire, which could be the reason why I don't see ships or foreigners around. The nearest territory would be the land of the Kouga tribe, and that's like, what? How many hours in horseback?

As long as I'm in the Kou Empire, I'm under Al Themen.

I can't escape.

_Yawn_

I blinked for a second before turning towards the baby, seems like he tuckered himself out from all the pulling and trying to get my attention. Now I feel guilty, he's just a kid, and I'm ignoring him.

I sighed.

The life of a big sister is hard.

"Lullaby?" I offered to the baby, I wasn't quite really sure if he could understand me, since he's just an infant, but it became a habit for me in both lives to speak to kids like they could understand me, it was a weird habit that always put an unsure smile on the nurses when they see me having a conversation with a baby.

(No one will ever know that I did that on purpose just to see their reactions)

"Ga!" I chuckled when I saw the oh so adorable smile of the baby light up, I guess he was smart enough to realize that, whenever I said 'Lullaby', I would sing to him. I only ever sang to him when we were alone, because it was way too embarrassing for me to sing it while other people were there and I have a horrible singing voice. Judar was probably the only person who heard me sing it.

I picked him up from his cradle, a little woven basket, and quickly placed him on my lap before my hand would give way from being too flimsy to carry a baby. Stroking his hair for a while as the child stopped pulling my hair; I began to sing a familiar song to him.

"_Lacrimosa dies illa…," _I began in a cracked and untrained voice, making it much harder for me to sing such a simple lullaby.

How odd, of all the lullabies my mother would sing for me, why did I sing this song to Judar? It was from an anime I watched long ago, though I heard that the lyrics were made by Mozart. But it never ceased to calm me; I could never seem to get it of my head. I even used it during my Latin classes in collage to cool me down. It was a random song from a random story concerning… a person who wanted to be accepted by others…and wanted to protect those who accepted her…

I sobered as I remembered that singing voice from the distant past…

"_Judicandus homo reus,"_

"_Hui ergo parce Deus,"_

"_Pie Jesu Domine,"_

At the last parts of the lullaby, I looked down at the sleeping infant on my lap, the pure white Rukh around us fluttering almost softly, as if calmed by the song as well. I lifted him up and, gently so to not wake him, placed him back in his basket. I took the moment to see his sleeping face, the Rukh so white it was almost blinding.

Will he ever make that face if they take him?

Will he ever sleep peacefully again if he falls to depravity?

I…

I…I don't want that to happen to him

It's only been a few months, but he's my brother now. I…I can't bear the thought of him being taken away and manipulated like some puppet in a play. I-I have to do something, anything! as long as my family is safe. I don't- I don't want them to die.

I don't want them to die

Something…I have to think of something!

_**But there's nothing I can do.**_

_**Nothing. Absolutely. Nothing.**_

"Oi! I'm here to pick up the bra - ah! I mean - Shirin!" My train of thought derailed when I heard that annoyingly familiar voice appear as the sliding doors swung open, startling both mom and Judar awake. Gah! My ears! Judar, sthap crying! STHAP!

"Oops," Yui said blandly "Did I interrupt nap time again? Sorry," I saw mom stumble out of her futon in embarrassment as she took the wailing Judar and calmed him down, before pouting at Yui

"Your late, Yui, you were supposed to pick up Shirin four hours ago," She said as she lulled the child back to sleep. Funny thing about time, since this was an era where the clock was yet to be made, people used sun dials or candles to tell the time, our house, the one me and Yui live in, however, was one of the few that used a magical tool to tell time. I wonder how we got that tool…

"Uh-huh, yeah, sorry about' that," The woman said offhandedly with a wave of her hand "I got a bit engrossed in the library again, the Toran scriptures the witch doctor owns are worth a few hours," My head shot up at the sentence, Yui could read Toran?

"Come one, brat, it's getting late," I felt myself being picked up by familiar arms; I looked at my mother, Sakaya, who looked at me with sad eyes as she cradled Judar's petite body.

"See you tomorrow, Shirin!" She said with a smile as the baby magi's crying decreased to whimpers. From the woman's arms, I waved back happily. Yui gave a loud hum when Sakaya waved goodbye to her. And we left the tiny home. The streets were dark and the moon, full and impending, was high in the sky, surrounded by a crown of stars. The old Chinese streets were empty and everyone was inside now. I shifted uncomfortably at this eerie silence, as I was still used to the hustle and bustle of good old city life.

"…Hah, something doesn't feel right," The woman, Yui, said to herself after a while of walking, and I looked up at her in confusion as she started to walk faster, almost sprinting in a way I've never seen her do before.. I looked around the empty streets, I'm rarely up to see the streets like this, but I really can't find anything stra-

Wait.

Where's the Rukh?

My eyes widened when I realized what was missing, right, even at night, the Rukh had always been there, since there were usually insects or animals lurking around, and even if there weren't any that night, there should still be Rukh because of the _wind_ and the _plants._

But it's gone, their all gone.

No…nonononoohpleasenonononoohgodnonononoNo! It can't be! Already?! I paled and shivered at the thought, maybe it's just a coincidence? Maybe the Rukh is just hiding, right?! They can't be here already?! Right?! They can't-!

Any hope of it being coincidence disappeared.

When I felt their presence.

Al Themen

**Our time was up**

Yui was already running, obviously feeling the dread that was emanated on that dark night. We have to get home was most likely what she was thinking as she ran through the outskirts of the town, ignoring the screams that slowly began to pierce to supposed peaceful night. I on the other hand, couldn't even move to cover my ears from their screams, they were too loud, too piercing, too traumatizing to do anything buy

_It's useless though _

_Were all gonna die_

_**I'm gonna die again**_

"Yui! Shirin!" I was startled out of my dark thoughts when I heard my father's frightened and haunted voice "Thank Solomon! You're alive!" I wanted to say something, but stopped when I saw father's attire, this was the first time I saw him wear soldier armor, he always seemed too passive to me to wield a sword, much less use one.

But he was holding one.

And it was drenched in blood.

_Who's blood is it?_

"Yui, take Shirin and leave the village, were under attack!" I saw the Rukh fluttering agitatedly around him, telling how frightened he really was. I heard Yui begin to protest, but was silenced when Zian, my father, pushed us both away, saving us from a wave of Black Rukh so _potent it was seen by the human eye_. I could only stare in shock for a second before feeling Yui stand up from the fall and tumbling away from the scene in fright.

The scene of my father screaming in agony

The scene of his Rukh falling to the ground

The scene of his black corpse appearing from the canopy of black birds, all dried up and screaming.

_He's dead…deaddeaddeaddead_

**Oh my god**

I didn't realize how much distance we traveled until I noticed the familiar scent of home and Yui's heavy breathing. Without wasting a single breath, I could only watch in morbid confusion as she opened a hidden door from the floor of our house and jumped in with no hesitation. I found myself facing a room I had never thought existed underneath our house. It was a circular room with bookshelves covering the walls, magical tools of all kinds lay scattered here and there along with scrolls which were obviously written in a different language. But what got my attention was the intricate carving on the floor.

A magic circle

"FuckFuckFuckfuckFUCK!" All pretense of manners disappeared as she started crying horribly, uncaring of just who was hearing her moment of weakness as she fumbled with her metal thimble and placed it on her finger. I gasped in shock when she threw me in the air soon afterwards, only for a gust of wind to hold me up before softly bringing me to the center of the magic circle. "That Idiot! That Solomon Forsaken Idiot!" My eyes widened in shock as I watched the white Rukh surrounding her increase tenfold and started swarming around her metal thimble. My mouth was practically dropping when I realized why said thimble looked so ornate despite simply being a thimble.

It was a wand

I gulped at a realization

Her powerful aura, her mysterious calming spell, her desire to read magic scrolls

She was a magician

She was a magician all along, meaning she knew about my Rukh – knew about Judar's Rukh – and yet said nothing to Sakaya.

And she was going to save me.

"Ah!" I gasped when something was thrown towards me, landing inside the circle; it was a small earring, the one she would always wear, it looked just like the single earring mother would wear. I looked up in confusion at the woman, who was frowning at me. But only then did I realize that there wasn't a hateful frown, just an irritated one, only breaking slightly into concentration or fear as the black Rukh slowly descended in here.

"Think of it as a memento from your mother! Wear it at all times!" She barked harshly, causing me to fumble as I readily pinned the earring to my right ear, only to feel dizzy when I suddenly felt an uncomfortable lack of Rukh around me.

Is this…something that limits the amount of Rukh around you or something?

"You…You're a pain in the ass, you know that?!" I winced when she said that "You and that brother of yours are probably the reason why this village was targeted in the first place!"

No…no…that's…

"That is why," I heard Yui say as the magic circle began to glow brightly. The black Rukh was just outside now "Both of you have to _live _through this. So that in the future, you can give these monsters the biggest middle finger they'll see in their sorry lives!"

"Become a queen, get married, whatever! It doesn't matter what you do in the future, just live!" I would have flinched in the ferocity in her words, but I could only stare in wonder at the woman as she activated the magic circle. The Rukh surrounding me was going mad now, I felt myself being lifted up by the Rukh, I yelped when I saw myself disappearing.

"…we magicians have to stick together…right? So live a long life, for all of us,"

…?

Before I could respond, I saw the woman smile up at me, and for the first time, I saw it reach her frightened eyes.

And I was gone

* * *

She was a magician. Born a magician, die a magician.

Back in her country, that was just another way of saying 'you'll be a slave forever'

Magicians were the dogs of the nobles after all. Everyone knew that magicians were the lesser beings and that the Goi were the greater ones. The magicians were physically weak and would drop from even the lightest of jobs. The Gois were the stronger ones, the faster ones, the ones who paved the kingdom they called home. They were the ones who put the noose around their magicians and used them as leashes to do their bidding, making the noose tighter, and tighter, and tighter, until there is no longer a magician beside them, only a corpse.

Yui and her brother were taught by their parents that they should not hate the Gois for this though, for the magicians knew that it was the other way around and that _they _were the greater of the two and that they do the Goi's bidding because they wish to help the Goi find the error to their ways and see the world in a much brighter perspective. They are the ones who can see the world as it really is, after all, they can see the beauty of the pure and faultless Rukh and how it yearns for equality. The Goi cannot. Thus, they remain ignorant to their purpose.

The sibling's parents were killed from magoi overuse; all because some farmers wanted magicians to make rain, when they could just water the plants the old way.

Their parents were killed due to _laziness_

On that day, the lazy farmers starved to death when they found that the crops they had harvested were inedible. They could not find any evidence that it was done with magic.

But it was useless. It did not bring their parents back. It would not change the fact that their kinds was dying day after day due to the incompetence of the Goi.

Yui yearned to _kill someone_

Yui yearned to _hate_

Yui yearned to _curse this fate she had_

But she didn't. Because she and her brother met _him._

_Teacher_

When no one would take them into their family, he opened his arms and embraced them. A Goi, a stranger, a middle aged man who's dirty red hair stood out among the black. The man had showed them a kindness they only saw in their family, a love they never experienced from anyone aside from their parents, and a heart that showed to them how sincere he was and how different he was from the farmers who killed their parents. The man taught them many things they thought they had no privilege to learn. Things like reading, writing, proper eating habits. Things that were known as the most basic of skills taught to all children throughout the years were taught to them with compassion by one man.

Teacher showed them how to love people again.

And they _loved _him for this.

Perhaps that was why, when they grew older and knew more about the world they lived in and the situation they were in, the two siblings decided to aid those in need as well, albeit in their own unique ways.

Her brother decided to act as a teacher for the young and the willing, teaching them the basics and then the advance and then the complicated. Her brother had loved the way their teacher cared for his students and the knowledge they gain, and was inspired to also teach what he knew to the younger generation. This escalated to the point where the older, more experienced magicians of their race too became inspired by her brother's passion for sharing knowledge to their younger kin, and would also come together to teach the willing of their knowledge instead of keeping it to themselves, all so that no other magician would fall due to a lack of information.

Yui herself, on the other hand, did not often join these meetings. She had no interest in giving away her knowledge, if only because she was too captivated in _gaining _knowledge. For while her brother looked up to the way their teacher would freely give away knowledge for them to use, she was more enthralled by the way their teacher would often go into long hours of discussion over more complicated matters, showing the sibling just how informed and well read he was. She also loved the way he would solve a problem by creating something new to them, like when the holes on their cloaks became too big to be used anymore, he used a needle and thread to create hoods for them in replacement.

That is why she decided, instead of teaching what little they knew about magic, she would improve magic itself so that even the young ones are safe to use it.

The knowledge her fellow magicians had was not enough after all, they could still do more. She knew this, and immersed herself in her studies, eventually creating many magical items such as stave's made for conjuring magic, and tools that could replicate the specific use of magic, so that the magicians could use that instead to prevent them from using too much of their magoi in accidents. It was a revelation that changed what they already knew about Rukh and Magoi, and Yui was praised for her find and became very popular among her kind.

People she loved had _loved _her in return.

But it wasn't enough for her; there was a cavity in her heart that told her that something was missing in her life.

And that something could not be answered by magic.

At first she was confused by this mysterious feeling, what could it be? Magicians yearned for knowledge, they had never asked for anything more than knowledge, and it should have been the same for Yui, but it wasn't. And it confused her to no ends as to what she was looking for.

Then _he _came along.

_Ziang_

They had met when the young woman found the man injured beyond belief under the shade of a tree while she was gathering ingredients, surrounded by no less than ten other bodies wearing the military uniform of their kingdom. At first she was ready to kill him herself lest she and her family becomes an expatriate, but paused when she realized that she, nor anyone else in their community, had no such loyalty to the kingdom anyways and decided to heal him due to realizing that she would feel bad for him anyways.

Taking him home was something she wouldn't do though, lest he kills her family.

Instead, she asked for her brother's aid to hide him somewhere while he rests, and while he was still wary of the fact that the man she took in might kill them all, he did his best to find an abandoned shack and make it livable. Despite their caution however, they couldn't hide it from their teacher, who got the truth out of them and also started aiding the soldier by giving him herbal medicine for his wounds. By the time the soldier woke up, Yui was ready to pack up and leave the enemy soldier to do what he damn well likes.

She hadn't expected said soldier to look at her once before professing his undying love to her. She hadn't expected that _at all._

Apparently, the soldier _had _been conscious that whole time when she found him and nursed him to health. One of the enemies he had faced was an archer who specialized in paralysis arrows. When he had confronted said archer at the forest, the archer had used his last breath to chug the bottle full of paralysis potion down his throat, thus pretty much confirming his soft and numbing death, had it not been for her walking by and healing his injuries. Since then, he had been waking up and falling asleep in spastic times, unable to move his body to an extent. To put a long story short, he was touched by the fact that she would help him despite being an enemy and used his first words since his paralysis to confess his undying love.

Yui's brother chocked on the water he was drinking when he saw this, and then outright laughed until he couldn't breathe. Her teacher wasn't any better, as he had started crying at the sight while saying that he's finally going to be called 'esteemed grandfather'.

She kicked the two of them between the legs and proceeded to berate the soldier for his moronic impulses.

Ziang was not deterred by her rejection though, and continued his attempts to woo her. By then, she found out many things about the man himself and how he got there. Apparently, he was a soldier of some standing in the army, who was chased away from his legion by an ambush due to one of his men betraying him. The betrayal had deeply hurt him and the cost was the lives of his men and the failure of their mission. Ashamed, Ziang receded back into hiding, causing everyone but his brother in arms, Lee, who had actually found him while he was in the abandoned shack but decided against reporting him due to his friend's wish to no longer fight, to think that he was dead. At first, Yui was disgusted by the fact that Ziang would abandon his mission so easily – would that not gravely affect the survivability of his fellow men? – Only for her Teacher to explain to her something she could not comprehend.

Fighting a war and fighting for your kingdom are two very different things. Those who fight in a war yearn for peace, and those who fight for their kingdom will protect it despite how many wars they must cause.

Even now, she couldn't not fully understand that explanation. Still, she realized that it was probably a valid enough excuse and apologized to him. Ziang only laughed it off with a warm smile.

Two years had passed since that day. She and Ziang had grown close, and Yui realized what she lacked.

Family

She wanted to have a family; she wanted to have children, to cook for her husband, to see her children grow up. She wanted to become a mother who was as kind as her own mother, who loved Goi's regardless of their abuse. She wanted to become a teacher to her children, just like how their teacher had taught them everything they wished to know and more. She wanted someone to lean on her; she wanted someone to lean on. She wanted a life that was so much better than what she had to go through when she was a child.

So when Ziang asked for her hand in marriage, she accepted joyfully, and even got the blessing of both her teacher, her brother, and even the man named Lee when he came back to check on his friend.

And now look at the situation?

Oh, she knew her husband wasn't a player, he was a liar, and a good one to boot, but his intentions had always been pure, if not childish at times. To her, he was an honest man, and he was.

Sakaya, on the other hand, was a kind and sickly woman, who was always smiling at everyone; they had become friends in their get-togethers, she even gave her one half of her precious earrings, which she used as a magic tool to limit the amount of Rukh surrounding her, as it became quite annoying at times. But no one knew the anxiety she felt for having a husband missing from her side for two years, no one saw the way she practically collapsed in relief and cried at the mention of her husband being alive and well, still strongly devoted to his wife.

They were two people who Yui never thought would get together.

And they didn't, not emotionally, at least.

"It was an accident!" they said, and it was. After all, they did not even intend to procreate in the first place. Had it not been for their worry over their friend who was still at war and the highly intoxicating sake they both tend to drink when they are depressed, such a thing would have never happened. Yui knew this to be a fact from their Rukh.

But it didn't stop it from hurting.

Ah, but that wasn't all.

Sakaya became pregnant with Ziang's child.

_Her friend became pregnant with her husband's child_

How was she supposed to react to that?

What's worse? They decided, as to prevent Sakaya's husband from finding out, that the child would be raised as If it was _Yui_ that got pregnant with her husband's child, As it would be fairly _easy_ for the magician to create the illusion of her being the one pregnant instead of Sakaya.

They were using her to hide their mistakes.

_**They were no different from those farmers who killed her parents**_

**She was being used again, wasn't she?**

Yui was hurt and outraged.

Why should she take care of her husband's love child!? It was an insult to all she believed in to do such an act! How dare they think she would be alright with this! How dare they make her hide their mistakes! Yui had spewed out every curse she could possibly imagine to the three despicable people who are the causes of her pain.

Her darling husband

Her dear friend

Their unborn child

After all the curses left her lips, she had slumped, crying.

She wanted to go home. Back to the slums of the magicians. Back to her idealistic brother. Back to her beloved teacher. She wanted to go back and forget everything that had happened and let those two Goi's suffer their consequences.

But she can't. Because for all her thorns, Yui was a kind person.

And that kindness had utterly crushed her.

There was no use to curse the husband that is wailing for her forgiveness, when tears are the rarest sights in his face.

There was no use to curse the friend that is in more grief than her, for she had just betrayed the man she loved.

There was no use to curse the child who did not choose to be born for her misfortune, for children do not bare the sins of the parent.

There was no use in all that.

For the damage was already done.

* * *

The amount of rukh surrounding the child was annoyingly unbearable, it made her irritated easily.

At least she doesn't have to take care of Sakaya's other brat as well though. With how that infant's Rukh was twice as large as the child Yui was forced to take care off. The woman scoffed when she remembered the insane amount of rukh emanating from that singe child. She was not stupid; the second child of Sakaya was born exactly the same day as when her home country, Musta'sim, collapsed due to the revolt of the magicians, and from what she knew about the mysterious Magi, is that one is born during the peak of a historical event, and since word spread of the third magi's death, it was almost too easy to connect the dots.

Sakaya gave birth to a magi, the chooser of kings.

And she didn't even _know_ it

Sakaya growled when the slightest sound the child in her arms made caused the rukh to swarm around them dizzyingly. Normally she was alright with Rukh being around her, but having such a large amount of Rukh in close quarters for at least a year was nausea inducing for magicians. That was why she had to block off her own magoi so that the rukh wouldn't be _that _unbearable.

She did not learn magic for this

She did not fall in love for this

She did not leave her home for this

Ah, there she goes again, uselessly cursing as always, it was a habit she got from working with those lazy asses in her magician days. Her teacher had even given her a stupid nickname because of that un-womanly habit.

Eh, it's not as if this child could understand her

Right?

* * *

Damn destiny bearing children and their surprising mental growth spurts

The brat _can_ understand her

It all started when she ended up cursing at the baby again (eh, old habits die hard) she noticed the displeased and irritated face she was making, as if she understood exactly what she was saying and was not happy about it.

Well that made two of them then

So she left the child alone for a few hours to see what she found do without the she devil holding her. And lo and behold! She started toddling around the room like a curios little monkey despite being obviously too young to learn it.

Damn destiny bearing children and their surprising mental growth spurts

Well there goes her excitement to at least teach the child how to walk; she doesn't seem to need her to learn it anyways. No doubt she'll find out everything she needs to know eventually, she was bound to follow a certain destiny after all.

Still, given by the way she would look at the Rukh's direction whenever they moved oddly also indicated that she was a magician. It was rather daunting to think that she might even learn how to use magic without her help.

She'll just ignore the disappointment in her.

* * *

She let Sakaya take care of Shirin

Solomon, was her smile really worth getting crushed by those ridiculously strong arms? She saw her life flash before her eyes, dammit! Are all Kou women this strong?! Or was she just weak in body because she was a magician?!

Well, at least she has time for herself for one, she never had the time to go to the library because of the brat, and on the one time she did, they didn't allow her in cause children were not allowed! This never happened in Musta'sim! Her home had never done this to her!

…_Musta'sim…_

Home…yes. Musta'sim is now Magnostadt, the kingdom she loved is gone; her country is no more. Had she not received a letter from her younger brother saying that he, their teacher, and many of the surviving Gois had taken refuge in the Reim Empire, far from the magicians' wrath, she would have thought that she had also lost everyone she loved. However, many of her friends had been killed during the war, even some of her magician friends died either because they were killed by Gois or were trying to protect the good hearted Goi people.

_Had I not married Ziang, would I have been one of those who died?_

The thought seemed terrifying

The thought _was _terrifying

Had she not left Musta'sim, would she have been one of the magicians that died by the Goi's hand for causing this rebellion? Or would she have died by her own kind's hand for helping the Goi? The fear of dying had always been something she failed to overcome, she was weak; after all, she had always needed guidance of her teacher to overcome anyone's death. Ever since her parents died, she had been tortured every night with nightmares of her being killed so many times all alone.

_To die alone_

That had always been her worst nightmare

* * *

When the spell was finally done and her magoi was all but spent, Yui collapsed.

And started laughing.

Had one heard her during her time of weakness, they would have been frightened by the sheer insanity in her voice, for it was broken and cracked and sounded more like the screams of a madwoman. The Rukh seemed to coil painfully around her, fluttering up and down agitated in a haphazard fashion. Behind her, the teleportation circle was still brimming with magic, signifying to her that it still had enough for one more usage.

Yui stood up and trudged towards the center of the circle. The disgustingly black Rukh is just right outside the door. Silently, she whispered an incantation, drawing what was left of the magic in her body, and the magic in the circle, into the tip of her thimble as she pointed the metal wand at the only door in this room.

She could have escaped, she could have run away.

Rukh fluttered towards the magician, Yellow…White…Green…Red…Black. The Rukh fizzed and sparked violently, Yui took the second to smile in accomplishment as she stared at the results of her constant research. A research her teacher and brother had frowned upon because of its dangers.

Her most powerful Aberrant Magic, strong enough to kill her with them.

Just what she needed

After all, what was the use of running now that death has been dealt on her husband? What was she supposed to do from now on? Take care of a child that was the proof of her husband's infidelity and go to Reim to reunite with her family? _Please_, she was weaker than that. It would only end tragically for the both of them.

_She should be alright on her own. With Rukh like that, she was bound to live long enough to do something spectacular._

Her thimble was steaming from the magic compressed around it, burning her flesh and causing her to fight the urge to flinch. Not yet, she can't activate it yet, not until those monsters open that door, and spread their pain to all those who are like it.

Because for all their misgivings, Yui had come to love Ziang, Sakaya, and this village, and she will not forgive those who killed the ones she love. Even if it means joining him in the flow of the Rukh.

Her smile widened to an almost demonic grin as the door opened, revealing a figure draped in white cloth, contrasting to the spiral of black Rukh that engulfed the room in suffocating black.

How odd, to think that the only time she had felt truly alive was on the seconds before her death.

She pointed her finger, along with her most dangerous magic, to the magic circle, and the earth beneath, before giving her killer a twisted grin.

"Now we are all… sons of bitches!"

**...**

**=Day of Judgment=**

**...**

* * *

Oh god, what just happened?

I felt myself stumble and fall the moment the Rukh let me down. I was in the middle of a grassy plain, most likely somewhere in the Kouga territory, the moon was still high up in the sky, it almost seemed like it was laughing at me, mocking me for how tiny and fragile I was compared to the force of nature.

But I don't care at the moment. I couldn't care because-

_Judar was taken by Al Themen_

_Everyone in the village is dead_

_**I'm probably the only one who survived**_

I shivered as held myself to ease the freezing cold. My eyes were dazed and my mouth was still open. No matter how hard I tried, I could not fully comprehend these recent events. Things had started out so _normally _today, even with the looming threat of Al Themen, the day was just so _ordinary _for anyone to think that a disaster would happen.

But it did happen. Now everyone's dead...mother…father…Lee…the witch doctor…Yui…

_Yui!_

I turned around in panic, desperate to see if she was able to transport herself away from the village as well, only to find nothing but grass, and the mocking sine of the moon.

Why isn't she here?! Why didn't she using teleportation magic to escape?! Didn't she?! Unless…

_She used up all her magoi…didn't she?!_

The thought was too toxic for my current state, and I began to hurl.

She saved…me, the love child of her husband and friend, the child she would curse at once in a while, the child she would abandon to her mother so that she could have some free time.

The child she held gently every day

The child that she would sing to sleep

The child she wanted to call her daughter

_God, what have I done?_ If I wasn't already sitting down, I would have collapsed from the weight I felt I was bearing. That woman, Yui, she saved me, at the literal cost of her life. I was just a brat she was forced to take care of because of a stupid mistake. Yet she gave up her life to make sure I was safe.

She's dead

_Their all dead_

And I couldn't do anything about it

_**Is this my fault too?**_

Tears started to well in my eyes as the last bit of my dinner disappeared from my stomach, leaving my throat rancid and sore, yet still felt like it needed to hurl a little more, let out a little more, because this whole situation is making me choke. I knew, I knew everyone was going die and Judar would fall to depravity. I thought that I could do something about it, but logic dictated that any action I would do was undoubtedly useless in the face of an Organization like Al Themen. Still tried, and when I gave up trying, I chose to ignore it, because…because…

"_**Because it was gonna happen anyways,"**_

"_**It was "fated" to happen, right?"**_

"Wah," I clutched my head as it throbbed. Right, it was _**"fated"**_ to happen. People were _**"fated'**_ to suffer, _**'fated"**_ to die. I couldn't do anything in the end because it was _**"fated"**_. I'm just a kid now; no amount of knowledge can stop it from happening. They died anyways, mother, father, Yui, the witch doctor; everyone was killed.

"_**Fate killed them,"**_

"_**Fate killed me,"**_

"_**Fate kills everyone,"**_

"_**Fate Always Kills Everyone,"**_

_**"Fate Will Always Kill Everyone,"**_

"Poor child, what are you doing alone at night?"

I looked up in shock as the tears continued to spill from my eyes at the voice that appeared out of nowhere. My eyes widened at the person before me. It was a young man with a feminine looking face, wearing a green Magician's hat and loose-fitting green and white clothes, including thigh length boots. The man had blond hair, almost silver under the moonlight, and warm blue eyes. His hair was worn in a long braid that reached his feet. But what got my attention was the insane amount of Rukh surrounding him, as if ready to whisk him away to who knows where.

This man…isn't he…?

"_**Why is he here?!"**_

"Where are your parents? …Ah! Please don't cry! It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you!" The man said gently as he came closer, but I still couldn't stop the tears, he doesn't understand. My entire village was just "_**fucking destroyed because of fate,"**_ and he's asking if I'm alright?!

_**Go away**_

_**Leave me alone**_

_**I just want to die**_

_**I don't want this**_

"O-oh, do children these ages understand what we say already? I don't quite remember," He looked flustered as he mumbled to himself, before crouching down to me and picking me up. I tried to fight against his grip, but it was too strong. As if not noticing my struggle, the man smiled and gently wiped my mouth with his sleeve.

"…I see," The man said sadly as he gazed at me, who was still trying to fight off his grip "…I understand now," I screamed at him to put me down, but those screams rang into false ears. Slowly, the man joined our foreheads together, making me pause when I felt the human warmth emanate from that single spot, the same spot where Judar had first placed the Rukh on and fused our Rukh together.

"It's alright…It's alright… It's going to be alright," The man said slowly to me "You're going to be alright. The Rukh will protect you. The Rukh protects everyone," I blinked bank the tears bit and looked at him in confusion, before turning around to see my Rukh. Sure enough, they were clustered towards me and encircled my now tiny body, as if they were trying to comfort me. I felt one of the Rukh touch the tears on my face, as if pleading to them to disappear from my face. It was at that moment, that I heard what they were trying to tell me.

_**"Please don't cry," "It's not your fault,"**_

_**"Don't cry, don't cry," "You are not alone,"**_

_**"Those dear to you will never disappear," "It is not the fault of fate,"**_

_**"Please don't blame yourself," "They are watching over you, you were not abandoned,"**_

_You were not abandoned_

The tears came back in full force. Is that true? Aren't I at fault here? I wanted to help everyone, but in the end they still died. Are you telling me it's not my fault, that they don't hate me for it? They didn't abandon me?

Then whose fault was it? Who killed my family and took Judar away from me?

"_**Al Themen,"**_

…right, despite knowing that disrupting the flow of fate would result to a catastrophe, they still did it. All because…all because they hated Solomon for killing their "god"

They killed my entire village just for some "god"

They took Judar away from me just for some "god"

I…

"…_we magicians have to stick together…right? So live a long life, for all of us,"_

_-a wave of Black Rukh so potent it was seen by the human eye-_

I…

"_**But there's nothing I can do."**_

"_**Nothing. Absolutely. Nothing."**_

"You seem to have calmed down somewhat!" I saw the relieved smile on the man's face as the Rukh around us practically sang in glee. I looked at him wearily, still dazed and frightened from the recent events, but calm enough to look at my surroundings now "That's good! Really good! Frowning all the time affects how many wrinkles you'll have on your face after all!" I blinked at the obvious line to lighten the mood, before making a face at the sheer whiplash it was compared to a few seconds earlier. My face must have been rather prominent, since the young man chuckle lightly. I pouted at this, to which his only reply was a pat on the head.

…huh…I feel calmer already…

"Now," he said to himself as he moved me away from him by a couple of inches "What to do with you?" He tilted his head in confusion as he looked at me and I could tell from the faraway look in his eyes that he was no longer talking to me at all "The Rukh obviously wanted me to meet you…since they're the ones that brought me here in the first place…but…," I blinked at the magi, is he talking to himself? Or those he think I understand him? What a weird guy

"…What now?" He started mumbling to himself; at times he would pout just like I did as he mumbled.

Hah, god, I didn't think this sight would look so cute.

"Haha, your face is funny!" I said out loud by accident, the man blinked and chuckled as well "Oh, is it!? Haha! I don't realize that I had such a funny face!" Soon enough we started laughing together. How weird, just a minute ago, I was in such a panic before, now I'm saying and doing things as if my whole was normal…but how…

_Why am I acting like this?_

_Is it the Rukh?_

_Or is it something else?_

"Why don't you come with me then?" The young man asked, and the Rukh surrounding us seemed happy with the proposal "It would seem as fate wanted us to meet anyways," I thought for a second, before smiling a small smile back at the man.

Weird…I don't want to be part of the plot, I don't want to mess things up…but for some reason, just looking at his serene face, watching as the Rukh danced around us…

I just can't say no

"Okay!" I said cheerfully, the Rukh shining in brilliant white "I'm Shirin! Nice to meet you!" The man smiled at me as well, a simple smile of a very childish, yet wise magi.

I don't want to be part of the plot, I don't want to ruin things…but it's alright if I go with him, right? I have nowhere else to go anyways, and just as he said, it would seem as fate wanted us together anyways.

Besides, he doesn't do much to the plot until the Magnostadt arc, so I should be safe from harm for a while.

It's not like fate itself is trying to squeeze in the plot as well, right?

With my reply, the man smiled at me and told me his name "You can call me Yunan! Nice to meet you too!"

…right?

* * *

**That's better! I'm worried that it's too long now actually! You know when it gets so long that when you finish the chapter, you don't comment? I hope that doesn't happen!**

**Read and Review!**


	3. Stage of Memories

**This…was much longer than what I planned it to be, I wasn't expecting to put so much focus on a certain portion of the fanfic, and I had to cut it in half too... **

**First, I know that the Magician revolution happened ten years ago instead of eighteen years ago, since Dunya was thirteen when that happened. But since Magi appear in the world during a great change, and there were no significant events that were said in the manga that could have been the reason for Judar's birth (Actually, there was, but I didn't think of connecting the creation of the Kou Empire with the birth of Judar when I made this fanfic), I decided to use this one, since the change was great enough in my opinion. It was that or the great fire that killed Emperor Hakutoku's eldest sons, which also happened a decade prior to the manga.**

**Despite this time change, Dunya was still thirteen when this happened, making her thirty one when she makes her appearance. Yamahaira, however, will stay her actual age, 25. (Not because I'm pairing her with a certain sword idiot or anything…*nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink*)**

**BEWARE! This chapter will appear a bit crackish or cliché most of the time (It's more like a collection of connected drabbles if you ask me), but that was because I got a bit down hearted from all the tragic drama last chapter that I wanted this one to be in a more…lighter tone. Plus my Beta went on vacation with her kids…**

**EDIT: I edited it to feel more appealing to me**

**DISCLAIMER: I, just like any other fanfiction writer in this universe, do not own the Magi series nor claim so. My property is only my OC's identities.**

* * *

Destiny's Play

Chapter 3:

Stage of Memories

.

His name is Yunan

.

_What is my purpose?_

* * *

_Dear Diary/ Journal/ Memento of a reincarnated sap,_

_Okay, before you ask, I might as well voice those thoughts of yours. I'm pretty sure it would be something like "Hey Shirin! What's it like living with the guardian of the Great Rift himself? Must be cool, right? Of course it would be, he is a magi," right? Well to answer your question, it wasn't…_

_It was pure torture_

…

…

…

_N-Not actual torture mind you, Yunan would never hurt me!_

…_intentionally, that is._

_For all the magi's accumulated wisdom from being reincarnated nine (Eight? Seven? I have no idea really) times, that guy has the parental knowledge of the rock that he sleeps under for all these years. I guess he never bothered to learn such mundane practices like taking care of a growing one year old girl._

_What? Don't believe me? Here's an example! It happened a couple of months after Yunan took me in, it was relatively nice at first, Yunan was obviously unused to taking care of a one year old, so I took pity on him and started trying to pick up my own weight in things one year olds shouldn't be bothering with yet, it wouldn't do either of us good if Yunan had to comfort a crying baby. _

_One time, Yunan made me tea for the first time since I came here, it was really sweet at first, it tasted a lot like jasmine though, and I was going to congratulate him for making such sweet tasting tea…when…all of a sudden…_

* * *

G-GHWAAAH! WHAT THE HELL AM I TASTING?! Is that SQUID?! No wait, CHICKEN?! IN TEA?!

I literally chocked when I felt an overflow of different flavors burn my throat, and if that wasn't traumatizing already, after a few seconds, I started getting this uncomfortable waxy sensation in my tongue.

WHO THE HELL PUT'S A CANDLE IN TEA?!

* * *

_Yunan, that's who,_

_Was he still flighty from having a person living with him now? Seriously though, I don't care if it went all right in the manga; I am sooo making sure he doesn't do this to Mor_

_So yeah…that was the day I started helping out in the kitchen…_

_That wasn't even the last, there was this time when i almost fell head first into the great Rift because someone accidentally pushed me off while talking to some people from Toran._

_God, how am I still alive?_

_But as they say, you learn things on the way. After a year of mishaps - And the generous aid of the people of Toran, God I don't know how to thank them for pitying my days with their frequent tea partner - Yunan was finally able to get the gist of parenthood and started relaxing around my presence, he wasn't used to not being alone all the time I guess, so having another person in the house must have been scary for him. I on the other hand had done the impossible_

_I had finally gotten over the fact that I'm a kid again! Hooray! Let's have a party!_

…

…_N-No seriously, I never really got over the fact that I'm a pipsqueak now when, a few years ago, I was an adult and had a job. I didn't think about it much during my year with Judar and Yui, but that didn't mean I accepted it. I guess I got used to the fact that I'm a kid again because of Yunan. He has this weird urge to carry me every now and then and tickle me awake and gave me this cute little nickname that sounds similar to the nicknames I would give to my child charges during my college years, if that doesn't force me to accept the fact, then I don't know what will._

_Huh, Now that I think about it, living with Yunan really isn't half bad after all! We just had a rocky start I guess. Now that we've gotten used to each other, there had been more good memories than bad._

_If there was one particular moment though that really stuck to me, it was the day he taught me how to read and write…_

* * *

**One year old**

Since we were in a place where no light ever comes in, I couldn't really tell whether or not it was day or night when I happened, all I knew was that it was before Yunan would cook and after I took a bath. I was in one of the many rooms in Yunan's large but still very much spacious wooden house; it was a small square shaped room with three bookshelves lined side by side against the wall, brimming with scrolls. On the center of the room was a circular mat and a short legged table, similar to a _Kotatsu _from Japan, and at the moment, the table was completely flooded with random scrolls as a little kid tried to read it, and utterly failed to do so.

Gah, how aggravating.

_I hate this _I growled at myself as I tried, and completely failed, to read one of the many random scrolls I picked out of the bookshelves. Reading was an essential skill in my world, especially when it came to deciphering a doctor's note, so the idea that I can't read anymore is so _damn frustrating and agggghhhh! God I have to learn everything all over again!_

Why the hell does it have to be so complicated? !

Okay, let me tell you a fact about myself first, through English had always been my main language, I actually got the gist of two other languages, Japanese, and, surprisingly, Latin. Learning Latin was mandatory in our college, that and my friends would use it once and a while for fun, so learning it was inevitable. The reason I know Japanese however, was...well I'd rather not talk about it, just know that it had something to do with the job I had before i became a pharmacist.

And _none of them _were in the language of magi

From what I can tell, this so called language is more of a mix of different languages altogether making one gigantic language. An example would be like how the synonym for "Live" is "Sentient" in our world while _Zhù_ is _Vivo _in the magi universe, the meanings and language are all jumbled up together. It must have been created from the languages from Alma Toran. Things make perfect sense then! I mean, if there was only one language, where do people get the meaning of their names? Or the names of their countries? Or the names of the magic spells? And why did the Kou Empire have eastern sounding names while people in Reim had Roman sounding names!? It was a huge mind blow for me when I realized this.

…Doesn't mean I could read it though…

Back to cursing then

…_Waaah, this is so frustrating!_ I growled to myself as I flopped the scroll down loudly _I literally have to learn to read all over again!_

"Ririn? What's that noise?" I jumped a bit before looking up from the annoying scrolls of gibberish at the sound of the old magi's soft voice, finding him across the room by the door, peeking through the rectangular doorway in confusion and worry. I grinned, I completely forgot! I could get Yunan to teach me! I giggled slightly in embarrassment, how could I forget that the guy I'm living with was none other than the _Magi of the Great Rift_?

"Sorry," I said with a grin as I failed to even stumble out of the mess of scrolls, I cursed inwardly at the tiny legs I now have.

Yunan giggled at the sight and fully entered the room, shifting his wand a bit so that he could pick me up from the blankets of paper. That was one of the normal occurrences in this household, another of which was me double checking the food Yunan makes, something Yunan finds both amusing, and somewhat insulting.

(What? I ain't taking my chances!)

"I want to know what it says, Nana!" I chirped excitedly as I pointed at the scrolls beneath us. I don't exactly remember when (No light reaches this place after all) but I started calling Yunan "Nanan", or just plain "Nana" sometimes. I didn't really want to call him papa or anything of the sorts, because I know my dad, in both lives, and I didn't want to add a third dad to the family tree. But I really didn't want to call him just "Yunan" for the rest of my life and all, I don't want to sound like I'm talking to a stranger instead of the guy that adopted me.

Plus, he gave me a nickname first…so…why not?

(But really, it's worth it. The first time I called him that, Yunan got all flustered and cute like he wasn't hundreds of years older than me)

"…huh? …Oh! You mean you don't know how to read yet, Ririn?" I shook my head and Yunan smiled brightly, bringing me up to meet his feminine face, just like he did on the day we met, a year ago.

"Why didn't you say so? Come on! It shouldn't be that hard to teach you!" With me still in his arms, Yunan sat cross-legged in front of the cluttered table, placing me between his legs before he flicked his wand, willing the magically created house to clean the small room and bring forth an empty scroll and an inkwell with an alabaster feather.

I…I have got to learn that trick

"Hm…how should I start?" Yunan mumbled to himself as he took the alabaster feather from the inkwell, its tip smothered in black. After a few seconds, a look of realization hit him and he began writing two unfamiliar symbols on the once untainted paper. I looked at the two symbols in confusion before tilting my head up to gaze at the blond man who wrote them.

"What's this?" I asked him as I pointed at the symbols, Yunan smiled "It's your name, silly!" I made a gasp of surprise when Yunan took my little left hand in his own hand and guided it as it traced the dried symbols.

"This symbol is **'Shi' **meaning 'family'," He said as he traced the square-ish letter with my hand

"While this one, **'Rin'**, means 'to love'," I stared intently as he guided my hand once more to trace the more rounded letter

"Together," He said as we traced both letters as one "They make **'Shirin' **meaning 'To love one's family',"

_Shirin_

_To love one's family_

…

…

…_**The fucking hell?**_

…What the hell is that?! …Me? The one who loves family?!_**Bullshit! **_No one who loves their family would leave them to die! No one who loves their family would let their sibling get kidnapped! **No one who loves their family should be laughing just a **_**few fucking months since everyone's death. **_

And I'm doing just that, aren't i?

I-

"Ririn? Ah, don't cry, why are you crying?" I felt the hand that was holding mine gently grip it tighter as the other hand turned me around to face the confused and very much worried Yunan.

He looked _genuinely_ worried

To the me from my past life, the manga had portrayed him as a free spirited and somewhat tired Magi who has a lot of secrets under that childish façade. Through I had liked him as a character in the manga, I always had this feeling that he may have a disagreement with the others one day because he experienced so much in his multiple lives, and knew what could happen.

The manga never showed this side of him before. Or maybe it did, but the expression was too unreadable to be seen from a piece of paper. But right now, standing right in front of him, I could see it clearly in his half covered eyes.

_Honest worry… for me_

(But this isn't the manga is it? If it was, I wouldn't be crying over dead characters)

"Shh, it's okay…I don't know why you got like this, but it's alright, I'm here, you're going to be alright," He murmured to me as he gave me a kiss in my forehead, instantly calming me down, I don't even care whether it was a spell or not anymore. I blinked and shook my head to clear it out a bit more, I got emotional again. That always happens when the subject was family related. I remember having outright fistfights with my teachers during high school when they started criticizing my younger brother.

Yunan gave me a reassuring smile, albeit a bit worried from my sudden change in behavior, before giving me a pat on the head "Thank goodness you're back to normal," He said quietly, after a few seconds, he dared to ask.

"What was that about anyways? Did you really hate the meaning of your name that much?" He asked in confusion, in which I shook my head, no; in actually, the name was perfect for me, given how devoted my past life was to my family.

(It's just that I haven't been doing things that lived up to its meaning)

…_Ah, but I have to give a reason, don't i? Lest Yunan makes his own conclusions._

_He deserves that much_

"Um…I-I don't have a family," I said after I realized that the magi wanted answers, but couldn't find it in myself to tell him the full truth, that I was guilty of not even trying to do anything "…Weird black birds took them away, and they won't come back," If I was any saner, I would have realized that the conversation was really too deep for a two year old, but I just felt so _tired _of beating myself up for it…it's not like anything will change even if I cried about it. So it doesn't matter if I told him about it…right?

"_**Not true, not true," "Is family just by blood?"**_

…?

"…I'm hurt, Ririn," I blinked and looked up at the pouting magi with sad eyes, as if he didn't…_couldn't, _hear the voices that spoke just now "You call me 'Nanan' yet you say you don't have a family?"

"…Eh? What do you mean?" I asked in honest confusion. Wait, back up a second, Does my nickname to Yunan actually have a _meaning_? I just did what Yunan did to my name and did a repeat of his last syllable. At my question, Yunan looked horribly put out, and sighed deeply before turning my around to face the table again.

"You'll just have to find out, right?" He said before continuing our lesson, ignoring my sincerely confused face as I watched him sigh and pout a few times as his thoughts wandered.

What?

* * *

It took me three weeks to find out the meanings of our nicknames, and three seconds to realize why Yunan was so upset when I said I didn't have a family

_Ririn (Riri)_

_Daughter/ Dearest/ My child_

_Nanan (Nana)_

_Mother/ Mama/ Mommy_

…

…

…pffft

KEHAHAHAHAKA! No wonder Nanan was so flustered when I first called him Nanan! I pretty much called him "Momma"! So much for not adding another parent on the family tree! OhMyGod! I am _soooo _not changing it!

I was laughing so hard that I didn't realize that my cheeks were starting to get wet with tears.

_Even before I realized it, Yunan had already accepted me as "Family"_

_I have a family again_

(Five minutes after that, I throttled Nanan with a hug. Despite the sudden impact, the smile on Nanan's face was priceless)

* * *

_Things began looking up after that. Not that it wasn't looking up before; it's more like I actually took notice of them_

_I never realized it, but I never really saw Yunan as anything other than a character before that happened, I would be friendly to him, but I always felt like I placed a distance between us. He was a character from a manga I read just a few years ago, and I was a person that didn't really know her place in this world, let alone who I was supposed to be. Even unmentioned characters like Yui felt like they belonged there, only when all that was taken away from me did I realize just how alone I really was in this world._

_No one else here knows about what I'm going through. I can no longer be backed up by the saying that "There will always be people there that went through the same things you did,"_

_I knew too much about the secrets of this world to ever become a normal child, and that knowledge drove everything else away. Even when Yunan picked me up, I felt like an intruder, because I knew I wasn't supposed to exist._

_Yunan...Nanan didn't see it like that_

_He saw me as an orphaned child and adopted me, even when he knew next to nothing about childcare. He would invite me into his abode even if he was known to prefer isolation. He called me his daughter even before I even acknowledged him as anything other than a piece in the grand scheme of the future._

_I…am really grateful I met my Nanan, and nothing will change that._

* * *

**Two years old**

"Nanan! What are we gonna eat today?"

"Hm? Oh! I actually got this nice soup from this mother from the Toran village; let's eat it with some herbal tea today, sounds good?"

"Yay! I'll go get the tea set then!'

I trotted away from Yunan to get to the cupboard across the room as he took a brass pot from the counter and poured the cold soup in it before using flame magic to set up the fire. I paused for a second and looked at the cooking magi from the corner of my eye, with his power of alchemy; he should be able to just conjure food on his own. The fact he had done so horribly in his first attempts in cooking just proves that he relied on magic (and maybe the Toran village sometimes) for food. Yet from the one and a half years I've spent in this house, I've always seen him cook like any normal magician.

(What changed?)

Due to my clouded thoughts, I didn't realize that I was still walking until I bumped my head on the cupboard, causing _fucking hell! The plates are gonna fall on me!_

Lesson learned: do not think and walk at the same time

Consequence: …?

Huh?

I blinked and slowly removed the arms that were shielding me and opened my eyes, the plates that were gonna hit me (and possibly pierce my two year old cranium once it smashes in my head, causing blood loss and high probability of death should it not be treated…gah…) lay broken on the ground, bounced off by a white sphere surrounding me. I blinked once, then twice, before turning to Yunan to see if he was the one that put the barrier over me. But the shocked expression on his face told me he wasn't the reason.

"Shirin…how?" I heard Yunan mumble in shock as he saw the barrier disappear, before putting his hand on his chin "…That was defiantly a Borg just now, no mistake about it, But…," I blinked again…huh? Borg? As in…

What?

Aren't Borgs like, the trademark of…_magicians?_

So I'm…a magician…?

"How is that possible?" I looked at Yunan, his happy face was gone, and what replaced it was a face of utter seriousness as he muttered to himself "I was positive that- did I read her wrong? …No, but the Borg…," I heard him mutter to himself. Okay, now I'm confused, what's he talking about? Doesn't having a Borg mean I'm a magician, simple as that? I shouldn't be any different from others…

_So why do I feel like my circumstances are…different?_

"_**Because they are," "You're not a magician,"**_

"_**A shared power," "You two merged, didn't you?"**_

I clutched my head as I shook it. What? What the hell is with these voices? Had being reborn caused me to get MPD? God, I hope not. What is it even talking about? Not a magician? Shared power? Merged? What the hell is it trying to say?! And why the hell couldn't it say anything in proper sentences?!

What does this mean?

_Gahh, this silence is killing me, might as well kill it first_

"Nanan? You're making a weird face," I said, purposely startling him out of his thoughts "Did I do something wrong?"

Yunan blinked a few times before smiling slightly and picking me up "…Nah, Nanan was just surprised that Ririn was a magician like me," he said, his serious face was gone and replaced by a peaceful face, I smiled, I really hate it when he frowns like that, so the smile was reassuring.

I was opening my mouth to say something about the matter when the scent of the soup engulfed both of out noses. Both of use quickly turned our heads to the pot of heating soup. Or, judging from the amount of smoke coming from it, what's left of the soup.

"Waaah! Nanan! The soup is on fire!"

"Waaah! Not again!"

That day we had to eat out at the Toran village, they are so nice.

* * *

_Despite the mishap with the soup that day, neither of us forgot of the events before that_

_Yunan had come up to me after a few days concerning my status as a magician. Being a magician was pretty dangerous at that time, and had fatal consequences if the caster didn't have the proper training to keep him or her safe. So he proposed teaching me a thing or two about magic, so that, as I quote: "Burn down the house and force me to make a new one every time," _

_Is he observing how much of a 'magician' I am? Not that I mind, I'm just as curious about it. _

_Unsurprisingly, Yunan is a great teacher. Even if magic itself was already a subject that I was excited to learn - It's magic people, how can you not get exited?! - he upped my excitement by showing off a few times to show me how it works. I could defiantly say that our days together have gotten way better after this incident._

_Yes…everything is going perfectly…_

* * *

**Two years old**

"NANAN!? What the fucking hell is that!?"

"Ririn! No cussing! Where did you even learn that?"

"N-Never mind that! Why do you have a statue of a busty woman!? Is Nanan a closet pervert?!"

I watched as Yunan spluttered helplessly as his face went red and little tear droplets appeared in his eyes at the accusation, before eyeing the crystal bust of the naked woman. I have a feeling I know what it was, but I guess my mind just went blank when I saw Yunan taking it out from a box. Hey, you would to if you saw your parent figure holding a naked statue of the opposite gender.

"A-Am not!" Yunan cried, before calming himself down "This is a trinket I got from a magician when I visited the country of Magnostadt!" Yunan said out loud as he placed the magic tool on the table of our dining room. My eye twitched as I stared at the statue, yup; pretty sure I've seen something like this before. What was it again?

(Inwardly, I sighed in relief. Thank god he wasn't a closet pervert. Or a pervert at all)

"So what is it?" I asked

"From what the magician told me, it was supposed to identify the type of Rukh that you can harness the easiest, do you remember our lesson about magic types and colored Rukh?" I nodded fervently, in the back of my mind; I made a sound of realization as I looked at the crystal statue.

Oh, it was that weird Rukh identifier that Aladdin used in the manga, no wonder it looked familiar.

_Why was it even a busty woman anyways? Was the guy who made this a pervert or something?_

(I the corner of my eye, I saw the Rukh fluttering in amusement)

"This will help us figure out what type works best for you!" He said, before gesturing for me "Come one, touch it and see what happens!" I grumbled a bit before, reluctantly, holding the statue

By The Head

(No way I'm touching the boobs, I ain't no pervert like Aladdin)

I blinked when the Rukh in the statue started changing, turning from white to a more purple hue. I tilted my head in confusion, but just when I was about to come up with the meaning of the purple color-

_*Thrust!* *Smack!*_

"Ririn?! Are you okay?"

_Inside_ my head, an _itsy __wincey __**tiny**__ voice_ said:

_Okay?! OKAY?! I JUST GOT SMACKED BY A FREAKING VINE IN THE FACE! HOW THE HELL AM I OKAY?!_

_Outside _my head, however:

"Nanan? I'm gonna kill the thing, okay?" I told my mentor/parent as I got up and looked around for something to bash that thing with, that hammer by the kitchen looks good. Yes, now all I have to do is get it and-

Instead of taking me seriously (Cause I was _seriously_ gonna destroy that thing) Yunan laughed before healing up the bleeding nose and wiping off the blood that was still trailing down my lip, this _did not_ happen to Aladdin and the others.

"Nope, you can't," I grumbled while Nanan dusted my clothes, then glaring at the criminal, who was still right on the table, looking as innocently as it can with its exposed boobs and laughing mouth.

_I'm watching you_

"Anyways, congratulations on becoming a purple magician, Ririn!" I turned to the smiling Nanan as he clapped his hands lightly, the Rukh around us fluttering as excitedly as he was.

"That means you're a life magician, a magician that has affinity with the Purple Rukh," I nodded slightly, Life magician? I wracked my brain for information about it. From what I know, there were only two magicians seen in the manga under this category, one was Sphintus, the other was Aladdin's Teacher's brother (Forgot his name). A sub category of life magic was-

Healing magic

I grinned widely

Healing, huh? Perfect! I always wanted to be a healer, in both lives. Plus, no one usually messes with the healer, since their too busy killing each other, so I should be fine if people started whacking each others heads open. This world needs more people under the medical field anyways.

Maybe I have chance to survive in this world after all

* * *

_A healer doesn't need to think about who will win or loose, because they all pick up the pieces in the end._

_I didn't have any particular reason as to why to why I wanted to become a doctor in my past life, no cliche storyline, no childhood promise, no ultimate drive to be anything but me. It wasn't even my first course option. I only chose it after much coaxing from my family when they realized that first option had been Fine Arts, not really the kind of job that could stably feed mouths. _

_I suppose I should happy I listened to them, never mind that it's the reason why I got killed as a pharmacist so far away from home. It gave me a jump start in the road of a healer._

_But the more I learn about these otherworldly skills, the more I begin to question the things that gave me a headache for so long._

_My teacher once told me: "Do not jump into conclusions, but always keep your hypothesis in your mind, because there is a reason why you came to that conclusion, and that reason shouldn't be over looked,"_

_I suppose I have the time to come up with a hypothesis for a question I may never find a conclusion to._

* * *

**Three years old**

_Why __**am**__ I even in this world? _

I thought as I put down the newly made journal I was writing on while Yunan was out doing who knows what, he tends to do that recently. I didn't want the events of the manga to disappear from me; it might be useful in the future, so I decided to write it down so that I don't forget. I didn't want anyone to read it though; god knows the trouble I'd be put into if someone knew of the future events. So I wrote half in English, and half in Japanese...and coded them as well...with three layers of codes used in WW2...

Paranoid, I know, but you could get a lot of things from not yet senile old men.

In my past life, I was an avid reader of fan fiction, particularly the reincarnation fics where a human from the modern world gets reborn into an anime/manga world and mess up the entire plot with them just being there. But unfortunately, I had yet to find a fanfiction that asked _why _this happens before I died. I mean, isn't it odd that they got reincarnated into a world that they knew as fantasy in their past lives? Or that their reincarnated at all?

What if those fanfics…those _stories…_actually happened?

I have a theory concerning this odd parallel connection. What if all those worlds you saw in anime/ manga/ cartoons/ books/ whatever were real from the beginning? Instead of making a whole new story, the writer of the story is actually writing of an event that had happened, is happening, or will happen in a particular world. Fanfiction writers, however, write of events from worlds parallel to the world the author originally took the story from. That answers why in this world, the magician rebellion happened eight years earlier than the 'original plot' and that…well. I was born as Judar's sister.

It's a sad theory, since it meant that none of us really wrote anything "unique", but it's the only theory I can come up with, and it's plausible in my opinion.

How about reincarnation then?

I don't believe that the afterlife _doesn't _exist. What happens after people die in this world is proof enough that things such as 'heaven' or 'hell' can exist in some worlds. Reincarnation, in my opinion, is when the soul accidentally slips away from the 'almighty movement' and returns to the world of the living. It could also be that the soul unconsciously remembers a world which you read or at least made a connection to, and enters it, thus beginning many of the reincarnation fics I've read.

Was that what happened to me?

…_But…if I remember correctly…at that time before I was born…_

If that was the case, why did it seem like the Rukh then were _leading me to this world_…?

I shrugged

…_Doesn't matter really, I'm here anyways _I thought as I clutched my chest, but even then the worry didn't leave me.

* * *

_Why can't my life ever be simple, dammit?_

_There's so many questions in my mind and there's no one I can ask about it. As wise as Nanan is, I highly doubt he knows about my condition, he would have noticed the telltale signs of someone who's experienced life in another world before, so there's no use in asking him. Besides, I don't think all my questions would be answers if I stay in this place for the rest of my life._

_..._

_Is staying here...what I intend yo do...?_

_I don't want to be part of the plot, but I'm still in a whole new world, and I know this world too. There is so much out there that wasn't seen in the manga, people, towns, cities, entire countries that don't play a pivotal role in the storyline, and I'm a curios badger that loves to do something new once and a while._

_I didn't become valedictorian by being ignorant dang it! I got the scores because I was a cat that wasn't killed by curiosity yet! _

_...hah...maybe I should ask Nanan sometime when he's here, he's been gone lately after all, not for a long time, but frequent enough to be noticeable. He should have plenty of stories for me…hopefully._

_I'm alright with that..._

* * *

**3 years old**

"…Nanan, can I ask you something?"

"Hm? Of course, what is it?"

"What's the world like?"

"…eh?" Yunan paused from his cooking and turned around to face me siting on the chair, his face clearly showing his surprise "What do you mean, Ririn?"

I fidgeted in my seat, careful not to fall off "You said you were a traveler, right?" I said slowly, at Yunan's nod of confirmation, I continued "That means you know a lot about the other countries of the world, right? Can you tell me?" I asked.

I'm not the adventurous kind really, I prefer staying in one place than fighting through the horrors of the outside world, but this was another matter entirely. For the past three years since I was reincarnated into this world, I didn't even get a glimpse of the new world I was in. So no one can blame me for being curious about the world that I got to know from a book.

Plus, I would have to be blind, deaf, _and_ dumb to not realize that even Yunan was getting restless from staying indoors for the past three years.

"Hmm..," Yunan pondered for a moment before extinguishing the finished soup and sitting down on the chair in front of me "Okay! I'd be happy to tell you!" He conjured up two cups of jasmine tea before telling his story.

"Where to start?" He mumbled before taking a sip of his tea "Ah! How about I tell you a little about each country I traveled in?" at my nod, he told me stories, one for each country still existing, some which happened many, many years ago, while others just happened almost recently, Either way, I dranked every bit of it.

"So you're saying there's a magi like you that's almost immortal in Reim?" I asked the magi when he spoke about Scheherazade in one of his tales, I was practically jumping at my seat from all the stories Nanan had, who knew history lessons could be so exiting? Or maybe it's just exiting because it's Nanan telling it? Either way, I couldn't care less.

"Mmhmm," Yunan nodded "Aside from me and her, their used to be a third magi, but she died about a decade ago, I think," Yunan nodded his head "The new magi should be born about now, too, with the rebellion of the magicians and the formation of Magnostadt," I smiled at this, unwilling to show the sad and knowing look that wanted to creep into my face.

_That person had already been born, as my little brother._

Gah, drama.

"…You really don't know much about the world, do you?" Yunan inquired after a while, and at the nod of my head, he hummed "I guess that was a given, you were only a year old when we met, and the farthest I had ever taken you was by the village of Toran…"

It was my turn to hum at this, the guys in the village were really nice to me and Yunan, they even taught me how to speak their language, though I still use the dominant language with Nanan when were in the house. It feels really cool to technically know all the languages in the world.

"…Do you want to learn more about the world?"

"…Huh? Like studying? But that's so boring!" I wailed halfheartedly, hey, I'm still technically three here; I have the right to wail. Through I didn't push it, lest I make Yunan cry.

(There was this one time when I pushed a bit too far, and Yunan started crying for real. I got all mother hen mode and _cooed him_ out of his crying fit. I _cooed him_, _**the magi**_. God that was embarrassing! Stupid sister instincts and crybaby brothers!)

Yunan laughed "That's not really what I meant, Ririn," He patted my head from across the table "But really, if you had the chance to learn more about the other countries of the world, would you?" I blinked at him for a minute, before nodding.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Yunan smiled brightly at this

"Great! We'll leave tomorrow then!"

Yay!" I cheered; I'll finally be able to see the world of Magi with my own two eyes! Yahooo!

…

…

…wait a second, what?

"Wait, what?" I asked, blinking in confusion at the smiling Magi, what just happened?

"Well the best way to get to know something is experiencing it, right?" Yunan said "What better way to learn more about the world than traveling across it?"

"…Or…could it be you want to stay here?" Yunan added, looking very much saddened at the thought, through there was a glint of something in his eyes that I couldn't comprehend, I winced, if I refuse, theirs the chance that Yunan wouldn't leave the house as well. If that happens, Yunan can't bring forth the first dungeon and guide Sinbad into it, leaving him Djinn-less for maybe the rest of his life. Unless Judar comes in and gets Sinbad as his king, either way, that could cause the _country of Sindria, _and_ the Seven Seas Alliance _to_ cease to exist._

It's scary how one little choice can affect so much. Really, it is.

"No no! I want to go with Nanan to see the world!" I said immediately, I could have sworn I heard the Rukh around us chuckle and hum in approval, but I ignored it as something from my imagination, as I figured out that aside from me, no one, not even Yunan, could hear these voices. Maybe it's a side effect from dying and being reincarnated. You start hearing voices in your head in the form of Rukh.

Yunan smiled happily, almost excitedly in my opinion, only then did I realize just how _long _it must have been for the Magi to stay in one place, all to take care of _me_. I have to say that I was a bit guilty, and deeply touched, about it

"That's great! We'll leave tomorrow then, now, prepare the table would you? We have a long day tomorrow," Without even a word of protest coming from my lips, Yunan lifted me up from the chair that was too tall for me and set me down to the ground, before going back to the cooled pot of soup and putting some of it in a bowl ( for Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Midnight snack? I don't know anymore)

Even after we finished dinner and I was in the brink of falling asleep in Yunan's arms as he took me to our room, my mind was still racing in excitement at the thought of finally, _finally, _getting to see the world in my own two eyes.

And so starts our adventures in the world of Magi!

* * *

But first…

"Water? Check!"

"Ririn…,"

"Food? Check!"

"U-Uhm…,"

"Medical equipment? Double check!"

"Isn't that a bit too much?"

"No! You can _never _be too prepared, Nanan!" I told the exasperated Magi as I shoved item after item in this large cloth bag that I found lying around his study room

"What if Nanan falls asleep and a gang of thieves starts chasing us!? What if I get hungry during the trip!? What if we have to run away from a man-eating flower-or something-before it eats us!?_ Preparation is key_!" Yunan shook his head, and stared at the cloth bag I was stuffing in the _necessities__. _

"I know that, but don't you think you've packed enough? The bag is twice your size!" I blinked and looked back…huh…so it was. How did it get so big? Did it grow larger before or after I stuffed the kitchen utensils in? I felt sweat drip down from my forehead all the way to my cheek.

Packing looked so much easier on television…

…what? I've never packed for long trips in the wilderness, okay? Don't judge!

"How about we take some of it out?" Yunan said before coming closer to the bulging bag, but before he could open it up…

"NOOO!"

"WAAHHH! NOT THE HAIR!"

"WE NEED THEM!** ALL OF THEM!**"

"…Even the spice racket?"

"…w-well,"

I involuntarily squeaked when I felt the braid I was clinging to being lifted, until I was in direct contact with Nanan's blue eyes, which at the moment were looking at me with what I can tell was humor filled exasperation.

(In the back of my mind, I still remember how I would give kids the same expression before I died)

"Ne, how about I just give you something that can hold all these?" _junk _went unsaid, and I just pouted like the little child I'm supposed to be, But didn't argue.

Guess it was stupid of me to think that Yunan wouldn't have something that could hold all these…

After letting me down (And me releasing his hair) Yunan bobbed his wand once before something from the room behind him went flying to my neck, I squeaked for the second time in shock when I saw the stringed necklace that appeared on my neck, the strings encircled my neck and ended with a red pendant tied on the end.

Then Yunan tapped it with his staff

Then the sack of stuff disappeared into light

Then the light went into the gem trapped in string, giving off a faint red glow before going back to a dull red color.

…

"What the hell just happened?"

"Ririn! Language!"

That was the day I got my trusty storage necklace, god knows how much I needed it.

* * *

Okay, _now _we start our adventures in the world of Magi!

* * *

_Using Yunan's time and space magic and the lovely help of the Rukh, it took only a whole year for the two of us to explore the different countries of the world I'm living in now._

…_well, it wouldn't have taken that long if the longest amount of time we'd stay in a country wasn't half a year_

…_and it wouldn't have been so short if our shortest amount of time in a country wasn't three seconds_

_One way or another, every time we set foot into another country, and I mean every time, something comes up and we end up running for our lives or teleporting ourselves out of there. One of the countries we went through, Balbadd, I got too excited about being in the place that was the freakin turning point of the whole manga that I didn't notice that I was already separated from Yunan until a band of slave dealers thought it was a good idea to nab the kid that was blissfully wondering around without a parent._

_Huh, I guess I know now how that thief got behind me in my past life._

_Needless to say, Yunan was __**not**__ pleased to find his daughter-figure tied up with a bunch of fearfully crying merchants in a secret hideout a few hours after I was captured. Nanan could be quite scary if you pushed his buttons a bit too much, I was lucky enough to have never been on the receiving end of this side of Nanan. Through I did get a watered down version of it after he got me out (and pretty much everyone else since he practically obliterated the secret hideout, geez, I hope that doesn't affect the main plot) and proceeded to reprimand me about how careless I was, which I was, so I really had nothing to retort about that. _

_Well I guess I did pout at the fact that I was being reprimanded…_

_Another incident happened in the Reim Empire. After about four weeks or so of staying there, keeping a low profile since Yunan didn't want people to identify him as a magi, we decided to get a peek at the coliseum there, since everyone we talked to seemed to somehow add it to whatever conversation we start. Yunan even got us front row seats to the show, through the only reason for that was because the ticket person took pity on our lack of knowledge concerning the, as I quote: wonders of the coliseum, and gave us front row tickets to get a first class experience._

_I guess he didn't put into equation that the beasts today could jump high enough to go over the walls, and into the front row._

_Ha, first class experience__** that**__ was_

_Oh! Oh! There was also this time when we landed in Artemyra and we got to see the birds! They were so huge! We spent a few days there disguised with magic as civilians since neither of us wanted to fall from the cliff…w-well, just me actually, Nanan changed his clothes and eye color and fitted right in, he…didn't look quite happy when they didn't notice his gender._

_But then things got…weird…_

_It started when we befriended this woman who owned the inn we were staying at – She couldn't have kids and apparently found me adorable – She and Nanan were drinking some tea while I was practicing with this tiny wand Nanan gave me in secret when they started a conversation about interesting places in the city. Because this land used birds, it was dangerous for Nanan to fly around with me, so we settled for walking, but there's only so much you can see in while wandering and Yunan had this brilliant idea to ask around about interesting places so that we had an actual destination in our sightseeing. The woman had brightened at this and told us about this 'special place' that 'everyone' goes to, and proceeded to coax Nanan to go with her that night, which he agreed as long as I accompanied him._

_She didn't even twitch and just said yes_

_Now that I think about it, I really should have paid more attention on where she was dragging us, but i was more focused on preventing Nanan's braid from hitting me in the face. I only got a glance at the sign of the shop we were entering really, but that was enough to send me in a flustering mess beside Nanan._

_THE HELL WERE WE DOING IN THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT?! THREE YEAR OLD HERE! THREE YEAR OLD!_

_I swear, I felt like Nanan had it much worse, they separated me and Nanan too since I was too young to see those things and was placed in the children's section, which wasn't so bad…If I didn't here every shrill Nanan made when he tried to leave._

_Oh god, judging from the state he was in when he forced his way towards me, it must have been traumatizing for Nanan, at least they didn't order it's best men._

_Yeah…we left early…and I had to soothe a very much terrified Nanan…_

_Ah, and let's not forget our trip to the kingdom of Heliohapt-_

* * *

"AAGGHH! NANAN IT **BURNS**!"

"WAAHHH! TELEPORT! TELEPORT! **TELEPORT**!"

* * *

_-That was the country that stayed in for only three seconds before teleporting ourselves out of there to prevent our skins from blending with our shadows_

…_yeah, I ain't going there anytime soon…_

_But I must say the most memorable one would have to be the country i stayed in for half a year, my original home, the Kou Empire._

* * *

**Four years old**

It started just like any other country we visited at first. We would find ourselves in the alleyways of the city, look around for a few hours while Yunan told me little tit bits about the country were in as I rode on his shoulders, then find a crate or two where we could sleep in since Yunan likes cold and dark places but can't materialize our house here since the empire was too big and crowded that there weren't any inconspicuous spots were we could place it.

…What? You don't hear me complaining! It really is nice sleeping in tight spaces!

Well anyways, we were like that for a week or two, until Yunan had this _fantastic _idea on sneaking in to the royal palace to show me what it looks like.

Really, does Yunan even _know _the term _trespassing? _

…probably not

"See, Ririn?" Yunan said as he floated above the royal palace, carrying me like a teddy bear "This is where the first emperor of the Kou Empire, Emperor Hakutoku, resides alongside his family, he was able to unify the three countries that fought each other endlessly to save the people of Tenka, I wonder what he will do next?"

Without him noticing, I winced. Right, it should still be about 15 years prior to the beginning of the manga, meaning 5 whole years before the tragedy of the fire that killed Hakuryuu and Hakuei's brothers, Hakuyuu and Hakuren, and gave the control of the empire to Emperor Koutoku Ren, the father of Kouen, Koumei, Kouha, and Kougyuoku.

I gulped

_Could I change this fate? It might not have been their original fate anyways, since Al Themen had their hand on killing the emperor and his two eldest sons._

_But…what if it goes wrong? What if I just make things worse and kill Hakuryuu and Hakuei along with them? What if I mess up?_

_**What if I mess up?**_

Gah, I feel dizzy from all this.

"Shirin? Are you okay?" I looked up at Yunan's worried face staring down at me "Ah, are you getting dizzy from floating? Let's go down for a bit then,"

Without registering the protests coming from my mouth, Yunan gracefully landed us on the balcony of one of the many rooms in the palace. Presumably like every room in this palace, it was beautiful and well furnished with silken white drapes hanging here and there. The only signs of identifying what this room was for were the tiny clutter of toys here and there and the four occupants of the room, one of which was a one year old boy…

…wait, what?

"Hello there," My head snapped up to stare at the person I called my parent-figure. _What the hell is he doing?!_"Might we rest here for a tiny bit? We won't take long, I promise," Without looking at the shocked, and acceptably apprehensive looks the children gave him, he put me down the soft ground, completely ignorant about the way my mouth was opening and closing like a fish before snapping it shut and slapping my forehead.

_Gah, he really __**doesn't**__ know the term trespassing_

I tugged my clothes, a simple dark red dress, brown hood, and pants of the same color underneath, and tugged my long, unruly black hair in awkwardness because- well who wouldn't feel awkward about this?! I practically waltzed right in and made myself home in a palace! What the fucking hell _isn't_ wrong with this?! I saw the four other occupants of the room, the four children of Hakutoku, look at me and Yunan (but mostly Yunan) apprehensively, or at least, the two eldest were, since Hakuei was still confused and Hakuryuu was too young to realize that this could be bad.

Haha…this is _not _the way I wanted to introduce myself

"Who are you?" At last, someone broke the silence; it was the eldest of the four, a seventeen year old Hakuyuu. I saw him discretely signal Hakuren as the two slowly readied to get their swords, forming a wall between us and their younger siblings.

"Eh? Oh yes! I forgot to introduce ourselves!" Yunan said in surprise "My name is Yunan, and this little child is Shirin," as he said that, he gestured towards me "Were just travelers who wanted to see the Kou empire, we won't take long, I promise," I felt my eye twitch, does anyone ever believe that _"Were just passing through, so don't mind us!"_ bit anymore?

Of course they wouldn't believe it-

"Pretty!"

"Ah! Hakuryuu!"

"What the- OW!"

I bit back a curse when the youngest of the group, the little baby Hakuryuu, in the midst of the silent chaos, crawled across the room without anyone noticing, and started to pull my hair in curiously. Seriously, If I wasn't in the presence of an actual kid, I would have sworn in a way that even made sailors embarrassed.

Why is it always the hair?! First Judar, now him?! What the hell is that?!

"Noo! Let go!" I said childishly as the shock and the weight of the baby's body forced me flat down on my stomach as he continued to play with my hair, hey! It really hurts, okay? But my pleads went to deaf ears as the year old baby kept playing with it, I looked around for help, but it seems that everyone was too shocked from what was happening to do anything about it, even Yunan looked a bit confused as to what just happened.

Nana! What are you doing?! Help me!

"Hakuryuu! No, that's impolite!" I sighed in relief when I felt someone take the tiny baby off me after the motherly voice called out. A pair of hands, too feminine to be Yunan's propped me up, and I turned to find the eleven year old face of one Hakuei Ren, looking at me with no apprehension whatsoever, just smiling innocently as she held the tiny boy in her arms as he once again tried to reach for my hair.

"Thank you, miss!" I said with genuine cheerfulness, Yunan always said that we should at least say thank you when we mean it, and I really did mean it.

Hakuei smiled at me, both of us blissfully ignoring the adults in the room, who were still a bit spaced out from what happened. The first of the three to snap out of it was, ironically, the youngest of the three, Hakuren.

"Sister! Get away from them!" Hakuren said, forcing everything back into motion as he and his brother fully drew out their swords and aimed it at Yunan, since they saw him at the biggest threat. But Hakuei just looked at the two of them, confusion clearly seen on her face as she carried the boy in her arms.

"Why? They won't hurt us, I don't think they have the intention to," She said simply, silencing the entire room for a few seconds, and in that few seconds, I realized something.

It's hard to believe that this girl, not even in her pubescent age, would become a king vessel, someone directly chosen by a magi. And while Judar had fallen into depravity when he chose them, I believe had he still had his instincts as a magi and used that to choose, otherwise even the king vessels would have been under Al Themen's influence. The fact that Hakuei had gotten Judar's interest in the first place was proof enough that Hakuei had what it takes to be a king, maybe even more so than Koumei and Kouha at least.

This is proof. Her instincts as a king, this and her sense of justice is what will make her a king vessel in the future.

(What about Hakuryuu then?)

"Hello there, Shirin was it?" I looked back at the child "I'm sorry if my brothers scared you, I'm Hakuei, and this little boy is my baby brother, Hakuryuu, nice to meet you two," She said as she once again held back the tiny child reaching out for my hair "Could I ask what you two are doing here in the first place?" I blinked and looked up at Nanan, who had stayed silent throughout the entire conversation.

"As I said before, me and Shirin here are travelers," Yunan started, crouching down and placing his feminine hand on my head "When we entered the Kou Empire, I wanted to show Shirin the royal palace, I didn't think it was rude to rest inside the building itself, I'm sorry," He said in an apologetic tone, which the two brothers didn't believe for a second, but was enough for Hakuei.

"So it wouldn't be a problem if you two leave immediately, right?" At me and Yunan's simultaneous nods, she smiled again before putting Hakuryuu down and standing up –wait, she was squatting? - giving us another smile, she turned to her two other bewildered brothers.

"Then please, put down your swords, brothers," She asked "You two are much too righteous to fight, and possibly kill, in a child's play room. Are you not?" The two brothers looked displeased by their sister's lack of apprehension towards the intruders, but they sheathed their swords either way, trusting their sister's surprising wisdom. I held back a low whistle, since it could still be seen as a signal of attack.

Wish every older sibling listened to their baby sibling

"Ah! I'm sorry for the misunderstanding!" Yunan said "We'll be going now to prevent any more trouble, okay?" As he said that, he picked up the tiny child as always, wondering why they looked so shocked, even the nice woman

"Good bye, and thank you for the hospitality!" and just like that, he disappeared as fast as he came in, leaving the three other occupants to stutter in shock, before they went full on _ballistic._

From the sidelines, I took one look window Nanan disappeared from

And face palmed

_Nanan, you dummy_

* * *

"That was close, that woman was really nice. Don't you think, Ririn?"

"…wa..,"

"Hm? Riri-,"

"WAAAAAH! MOTHER! SISTER! BIG BROTHERS! WAAAAH!"

"WAAAH! YOUR NOT RIRIN!"

"What the- hey you! Unhand him!"

"Eh? EH?!"

"Get everyone to the royal palace! An intruder has kidnapped Young prince Hakuryuu!"

"WAHH! NO! THIS IS A MISUNDERSTANDING! PLEASE LISTEN!"

"WAAAH! MOTHER! SISTER! SAVE ME!"

_Nanan, you dummy_

* * *

It took Yunan the entire day to give the child back. Not only had he forgotten the exact room where he met and accidentally stolen the child, but the guards that were chasing him throughout the palace with their pointy spears and trigger happy arrows did not help one bit. Yunan had forbade himself from harming the soldiers, since they were only doing their job, he would have just given them the child long ago, but to his displeasure, the soldiers were much too busy trying to pierce him with their spears than let him get near enough to give the baby back.

Speaking of the baby, Hakuryuu had gotten tired from all the wailing and crying that he fell asleep in Yunan's arms, only to wake up and cry all over again when the soldiers' cries wake him up. The soldiers, however, saw their young prince's cries as his refusal to be captured and worked twice as hard to get him back. Even the three older siblings were in the chase, well, two, since they didn't allow Hakuei to join since she was too young. And since I was never the tearful type, Yunan had no idea how to calm the little boy.

With all the commotion that happened, it wasn't much of a surprise to find them both back in the child's play room completely exhausted.

"Nanan! Your back!" I said in surprise as I put down the little books they had on the shelves of the play room. What? I was bored okay? They completely forgot about me being there and rushed to save their baby brother. And since I had nothing else to do, I just read some of the children stories, which, to my disappointment, were like the books back in Yui's place, meaning they were just pictures. Nanan took a few deep breaths; softly put the sniffling child on the ground…

And started crying louder than the baby

"Ririn! Why didn't you help me!?" He wailed as he rubbed his watery eyes "That as really scary, you know!? I couldn't stop the baby from crying!"

I held back an awkward chuckle as I patted my parent-figure's back, half wondering why our roles were reversed "It's alright, Nanan, the bad people are gone, let's leave before they come back!" I proposed as I took Nanan's hands to cheer him up, as powerful as Nanan really is, even he can get tired from using gravity magic for such a long period of time. If he uses too much…well even he collapses in exhaustion. Best we leave before we become too vulnerable.

Unfortunately, we were a tad bit too late. Something I knew from the Rukh swarming right behind us.

I turned to find the two brothers, Hakuyuu and Hakuren, breathing heavily as if they had chased someone around the entire empire, which they might as well have, with everything that happened. Despite their obvious exhaustion, they held their swords as firmly and proud as they would have if they weren't tired; behind them was the door, further blocked by soldiers. I blinked once before looking out at the balcony in the corner of my eyes, seeing dozens of archers outside, ready to smite me and Nanan should we come close to their sight.

Huh, were trapped…

…God fucking dammit

* * *

"Nanan?"

"Yes, Ririn?"

"Traveling can suck sometimes, can't it?"

"_*sigh*_ Yes, Ririn, yes it can,"

I grumbled when the soldier behind me pointed his spear at my back, pushing me forward lightly. After they inevitably captured us (Yunan couldn't teleport since they already held me captive) they questioned us about our origins. Through we told them exactly what we told everyone else in the world, that we were wandering travelers, many didn't believe us, and what's worse? The ones that actually believed us thought we may be secretly affiliated with some enemy country since we had no records or proof of our origins. So right now, they're gonna take us to the council to make the final decision.

Translation: Their gonna put our lives in the hands of snotty old bastards that are all _talk, yammer, _and_, _oh! Surprise! Surprise!_ More talk_.

Were **dead**

"We have brought the convicts, your highness!" The head soldier said, my head shot up, huh? Did he say highness?

Sure enough, on the end of the white carpet was a white and blue throne with Hakuyuu and Hakuren standing beside the man sitting on it. The man had blue hair and a stern face, covered from head to toe in silken white, black, and blue robes and donning a crown similar to one seen in ancient china.

Hakutoku Ren, Emperor and Founder of the Kou Empire

* * *

_~Ten hours later~_

* * *

GOD MAKE IT STOP!

If I had to talk about every single detail that happened in that court while we were being tried, I would have screamed in mutiny. Cause it was _sooo damn long_, and it didn't have to be _sooo damn long_ either.

Those stupid council members made us all miss **ten hours of our lives** just because they wanted the chance to flaunt their peacock feathers and act all high and mighty as if they were the wisest men on earth.

God I wanted to kill them, I hate politics

I guess I had to hand it to Emperor Hakutoku, he had to listen to this nonsense the moment he sat on the throne. Even his two eldest sons looked like they wanted to be in a bedroom rather than there, I caught Hakuyuu stifling a yawn once or twice and Hakuren failing to keep himself awake as he achieved the much loved skill of 'sleeping while standing' .

I smiled at this, and here I thought both of them were dedicated soldiers like their father.

I yawned before leaning backwards on Yunan's open chest as he perched his chin on my hair, both of us ignoring the silent chuckle coming from a sleepy soldier nearby as he stared at the sight of parent and child watching old people feel important sleepily. Me and Yunan were at least allowed to sit on the ground, albeit in kneeling position, through Yunan ignored this and sat cross legged, making me sit between his thighs as always. The sight must have seemed very blasphemous for the council members, since they tried making us sit correctly, but was stopped by Hakutoku because there was no use to it as it would only make the session longer.

Thank god for small miracles

To our defense, neither of us really bothered to hear it, were just waiting until the emperor snaps. There are sixty members of the council, twenty from each tribe inside said country, well…fifty nine if you don't include the emperor himself. Each council member talks for _an hour_, and out of the _fifty nine council members_, only _ten_ had already spoken.

God this is torture, I can't even tell what their saying anymore. Someone, snap already, or so help me, I'm making Nanan teleport us out of here. It's not like we need to be here after all, Nanan is a magi so-

Wait

Nanan's a Magi? But doesn't that mean-!

"Nanan? Do Magi like you have to go through this political business? I thought you said they were exempted?" I asked after I nudged the Magi with my head, waking him up.

"Hmm? Oh Good morning Ririn~ are they done yet?"

"Wha-! Little child, did you say 'Magi'?!"

I blinked a bleary eye at a court official that was at hearing range of our one sided conversation. All at once, the hall was silenced by the man's exclamations; even the old geezer that was talking at the moment was muted in shock. I saw Hakuyuu pause mid yawn before covering it with a cough and, after glancing at his brother only to find that he was asleep on his feet, kicked him discreetly, waking him up with a start. I let out a little giggle at this; through it was muffled by my hands. No amount of strict mannerism lessons can stop a warrior from getting bored from the dullness of the court.

I saw the Emperor raise a brow, as if dully surprised by the sudden silence "Traveler, is what you say true? Are you a 'Magi'? He asked in a commanding tone. Nanan raised at the question, perplexed

"Why yes, I am Yunan, one of the three magi, why do you ask?" I saw the Emperor twitch his eye in irritation, before standing up from his throne, his two surprised sons standing beside him.

He looks irritated

"Then there is no more need of this court meeting, as one as important as a Magi is exempted from all political affairs should their chosen king be unrelated or is not an enemy of the Kou Empire," The man said with the voice of a king, silencing anyone that tried to oppose him. I blinked, the soldiers blinked, the two brothers blinked, and every other servant who knelt for ten hours straight blinked.

_Don't tell me we lost ten hours of our lives for nothing! _Our simultaneous thoughts echoed. Oh the horror.

"Oh? Is it over? Can we leave now?" Yunan asked, and I just stared at him because _god fucking dammit! If he only told them sooner, then we could have gotten out ages ago! _

Little did I know that i was gonna curse the hour the meeting came to a conclusion

"But," The Man said when I and Nanan had just gotten up, Yunan's hand placed on my shoulder "Even with the status of a Magi, it is insulting for the man that kidnapped my youngest child to leave with no consequence," I gulped when the man's sharp blue eyes stared down at us "I may not have the authority to impose judgment on a magi, but I do have the authority to impose it on his daughter,"

…What?

Maybe it was the drowsiness that was still evident in my system, or maybe it was the shock that came from that king's words, but everything that happened after that was a blur to me. I remember Yunan words of protest as he gripped me closer to him when the soldier that took us here gently separated us. Yunan had made a face that I didn't think would appear on his features and said something to the Emperor that I couldn't quite hear because of the pounding of my own chest and my own mental chanting screaming _This is not happening_ _This is not happening_ _This is not happening_

_They wanted to separate me from Nanan…?_

* * *

"WAAAH! NANAN! I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO!"

"Oi! Let go of each other already!"

"WAAAH! I DON'T WANT TO LET YOU GO EITHER!"

"Gah! The Emperor said it was only for a few months already! Now both of you, stop crying this instant!" Both of us ignored the soldier that was doing his best to pry us off each other, though I have to say, the guy was nice enough to at least put down the spear while doing so.

It would seem as me, Yunan, and pretty much every other person in the court had overreacted to the Emperor's words, or I guess, reacted before he could finish them. Due to my connections with the Magi, I was entitled to be burdened with his punishment for accidentally kidnapping Hakuryuu since they couldn't directly punish him due to his status as a Magi. But at the same time, due to my connections with him, they couldn't do bodily harm at me, lest they encounter the rage of a Magi, the most powerful type of magician.

So their punishment? Keeping me trapped in the Kou Empire for who knows how long. That way, they had a bargaining chip should they require the assistance of another magi, aside from the one brought by Al Themen

(…Judar…)

The whole thing seemed rather halfhearted now that I think of it. Since Yunan never really meant to kidnap Hakuryuu, Emperor Hakutoku knew that it was unjust to punish me too much, but under the Council members, he couldn't let us go scott free. So after three months or so, I'm allowed to leave or stay under my own wishes. But Yunan is not allowed to see me until I want to leave.

So now, here we are, crying like a bunch of sappy kids while the soldier acts like the adult.

"Wait…How will I call Nanan when I want to leave though?" I asked the soldier after I took pity on his constant attempts to separate us. The soldier must have been new, since he wasn't as stiff as the ones I see in the manga. At the question, Yunan finally stopped his water works a bit and made a thoughtful face, before snapping his fingers.

"How about this?" Before I could question what 'this' is, Nanan placed the tip of his wand on my forehead and spoke a line. I gasped when I felt an unnatural scratch in my throat, before feeling it dissolve as quickly as it appeared.

"Just say my name with the intention to leave, then I'll be by your side immediately," Yunan said as he crouched at me, before giving me another pat on the head and a kiss on the forehead, knowing that, for the first time for the three years we spent with each other, he wouldn't do it again for a long time.

Only then did I realize how much I treasured those tiny bits of affection

"I-," _I want to go with you_, I was about to say that, but I stopped myself. If I said that, who knows what the magi would do? The Emperor was already being soft on the punishment because I was obviously too young. I don't want to bother anyone because I was spoiled enough to think that just because my parent was a magi, I can ignore politics and their consequences.

I'm mentally an adult, dammit! I'm better than this!

"…I'm gonna miss you, Nana," I said quietly, soft enough so that the only one who could hear it in this spare room was the person who put up with me for three of the four years of my life. I felt Nanan embrace me gently, ruffling my messy hair.

"I will too, Riri," He said quietly, a sad smile masking most of his emotions, before standing up and taking a step away from me and the soldier so that he was behind the large window on the end of the empty room.

"It won't be long, I promise," Nanan said, the Rukh fluttering between us reassuringly, whispering to me and me only how _**"It's true," "He wouldn't leave you," "You're his precious daughter after all," "So don't cry, okay?" **_and I wanted so much to believe that.

"After this, let's continue our little travels, okay?" He said, before smiling at me for one last time as the Rukh around him swirl around, enveloping him in its warm embrace before flicking off into existence. I bit my lip as I stared at the empty space that once held my parent, before grudgingly allowing the soldier in the room to lead me back to the throne room, thus begins the days in the White Palace of the Kou Empire. It's only for three months anyways.

Right, only three months…

* * *

_It was hell _

_Everyone kept __**looking **__at me, whispering and pointing and giving me such fake smiles as if I was too dumb to see through them. Every action I did was watched, I couldn't even write in this journal without having to look behind my back to check if there was someone peeping, someone even tried to confiscate my necklace on time because they thought I had secret documents in it. If it weren't for Emperor Hakutoku, I would have lost Nanan's gift to me._

_Is this really society?_

_Please, let this be over, I want my Nanan…_

_I want…_

* * *

**Four years old**

"Ah, if it isn't Shirin,"

"Huh? Oh! Hey there, little Shi! Watcha doin' here?"

"Hakuren! Speak properly!"

"Yuu! Ren! Where's Uei and Ryuu? I bored!"

"And you! What did I tell you about honorifics? Have you learned nothing?"

"Face it, brother Yuu; she won't be cracking up 'sirs' and 'miss' anytime soon,"

"Hellooo? Uei and Ryuu? Can you just tell me where they are?"

"They should be in the child's play room," An eighteen year old Hakuyuu answered after he finally put down the book he was reading, his brother sitting idly across him, obviously itching for a sparring match as he rocked his chair back and forth dangerously. I giggled when I saw Hakuyuu, the smart and stern brother with the face of the father; discreetly topple the chair with a soft push of his foot, sending his younger - and arguably hardier - brother toppling on the floor when he leaned back.

"That's what you get for playing with expensive furniture," I said in a smart assed tone, earning a mild glare from the younger brother before hauling himself up and giving his brother an 'I-know-you-did-it' look as said brother continued to ignore him by reading once more. The brother sighed before rubbing the back of his head and looking back at my smiling face, if I was my past life, I would have worried about a concussion, but the me of today knew exactly how hard the heads of warriors in this world are. So I don't need to worry.

"You know, for a five year old, you sure a spunky," he said, but before I could retort, I felt something heavy land on my hair and started ruffling it

"Oi! Not the hair!" I said in annoyance as the younger brother ruffled my hair while laughing, from the corner of my eye, I saw Hakuyuu look at the scene with a smile that clearly wished that days like these would go on forever.

To my regret, I found myself wishing the same thing

Three months have come and left, as fleeting as the wind so to say. In those three months, everyone treated me as if I were a princess of high standing myself, mostly because, as a magi's daughter, they wanted to get into my good graces, it was really scary at first, since their intentions were just plain obvious that it irritated me too much to even think about it, I found myself counting the days until I could leave this hell hole of silken cloth,

But things got better by the second month

How?

I befriended the Haku siblings…well more like they befriended me

It all started with me walking around idly as always, having shaken off the servant that they pinned on me, I was finding something to do when I heard a cry of a baby and found Hakuei and her servants trying to stop a baby Hakuryuu from crying. I honestly didn't like the sound of baby cries in the morning, so I went up to Hakuei and Hakuryuu for the first time since I started living here and asked if I could get a chance to stop the kid from crying.

Needless to say, the faces of the servants at the proposal were disturbing

Even Hakuei was a little reluctant to give her little brother to me, no doubt traumatized by seeing my parent figure whisk him away (accidentally) because she had let go of the child. Fortunately in the end, she handed Hakuryuu to me, and using what I was taught in my past life about taking care of babies, I was successfully able to put him back to sleep

(I was _sooo_ not basking at the flabbergasted faces of the servants, serves them right)

Hakuei was really grateful for that, the next day, she picked me out of my troubling circle of (*cough*annoying*cough*) servants and offered to play with her and Hakuryuu, which was really awkward at first because just a few days ago, we were practically strangers living under the same roof, but due to the simple, innocent minds of actual kids (I'm technically a kid as well…but…) everything went on smoothly in the end.

That was basically the start of my friendship with the younger Haku siblings. My friendships with the two older siblings came right after that. It was inevitable really, ever since I befriended Hakuei, I tailed her like a duckling would with her mother goose, partly because I was dead bored and because I was interested in the first King Vessel Aladdin met.

But mostly because I was bored

To my eternal shock, the two older siblings held no hesitance in befriending me, unlike their younger sister. Turns out they understood that it was all just a huge misunderstanding and kinda pitied me for taking the blow for it. I secretly got angry about this, I didn't like being pitied, but I guess the curiosity of meeting the Haku siblings' older brothers quelled that anger somewhat.

Hakuren was just as portrayed and descripted in the manga, loud, war-loving, and very much protective over family, though they never showed his love for pranks, and not just your average pranks either. One time I saw one of Hakuyuu's other advisors shivering in fear and screaming bloody murder after he got thrown in with a necklace of meat in a pit of hungry lions with nothing but a tiny cage to keep them away when Hakuren overheard him insult their father indirectly. And that's just a mild example for the blood craving side of this guy.

Hah, you can take the warrior from the war, but not the war from the warrior

Hakuyuu, in the outside, was also similar in description, stern, wise, and cool headed. But it never showed the side that would give teasing remarks to Hakuren or even the side that would sit all day in the child's play room hiding while helping Hakuei in her sewing, something he was really good at, to his embarrassment. My favorite side of him was his teaching side, one created when Hakuren was of learning age. After we became familiar to each other, Hakuyuu often taught me random things, from astronomy to the dates in the calendar, depending on the time of day. Through I find it funny that he often tries, and fails to do so, to instill manners in me at a young age.

The manga never showed these sides of them

(Humans…really are too complex to be put into paper)

After I befriended the four siblings, the days seemed shorter, with me spending my day playing with the four and finding myself to wonder what other adventures I could have with them. Just think of how shocked I was to find out that three months had already come and past and that I spent _half a year_ in this place instead.

Time flew by so fast…

(How's Nanan? Is he worried that something happened to me?)

"Ah! Now that I think about it," I blinked when Hakuren suddenly spoke "Didn't mother say that she'd be taking care of baby Ryuu since little Uei was being taught flower arrangement today?"

I stiffened at the mention of their mother, right, the bitch is here. After I met her the first time when I came to the courtyard only to find her there instead of Hakuei, I was totally ready to scream and run for my life. After all, not only was she like, _the bitchiest villain I have ever seen in this genre of manga, _but at the moment, she held Judar in her custody, I feared that she would somehow connect the black haired daughter of a magi to their capture magi.

Fortunately, the earring Yui had thrown to me was doing its work splendidly, the lack of anything special in my Rukh made me almost unnoticeable. Even Yunan couldn't see through the earring's effects. Not that I wanted to take my chances though, ever since then, I high tailed my ass away the moment I see that artificial face a mile away.

"You've got it wrong, brother;" Hakuyuu said from his seat "That is scheduled for tomorrow, today, the courtyard is off limits,"

"Hah?!" I blanched "Why?" Who the hell would close a _courtyard_?

The answer I got shocked me

"It would seem as they wish to train the magi of Al Themen there for the day,"

?!

Al Themen's Magi…**Judar?!**

_**Judar's here!**_

"Huh, the magi hu- Shirin?!" I couldn't think, I found myself ripping away from Hakuren and running out the room, to the courtyard that we would go to everyday. Is it true? Is he here? _Is my little brother really here?_

_Is he still the baby brother I once knew?_

* * *

The answer was no…

_**hE's CoMpLeTelY dIfFeReNt**_

I thought as I watched the dolls of Al Themen teach him the basics of magic as I hid behind a pillar and concentrated on making my Rukh as inconspicuous as possible, which I felt that I didn't really need to, since the earing Yui gave me didn't stop it from feeling exactly similar to Judar's Rukh, which allowed me to mask my presence.

Our shared signatures are the only things that forced me into realizing that **this child is my brother**

No wonder that monster of a mother didn't connect the two of us at first, even with our signatures still being the same, it was almost completely overridden by the amount of black Rukh that child possessed. Even then, you couldn't quite tell were similar aside from hair and eye color. Unlike me, who, despite being on the (extremely) pale side and the long unruly hair (that I don't want them to touch, mind you) looked completely healthy due to the care of Nanan and the nearby village of Toran, Judar looked…really bad actually. He wasn't malnourished, nor did h look like he was inflicted with any physical harm, but…

He looks…tired? No…how do you describe it? For a four year old, he had such dead eyes, but in the same time, it was filled with something I couldn't quite fathom. His hair looked a bit shorter than mine, I can't tell since it was already braided. And he wore such heavy looking clothing that it was almost painful to watch the four year old constantly having to use gravity magic to keep himself straight.

Oh, and the amount of black Rukh surrounding him was a bit unnerving too…

Is this Judar? He's so much different from the kid I would sing lullabies to, or even the guy from, the manga itself! This must have been before Judar started disobeying Al Themen's orders somewhat, since the kid here was obviously tailing the members like the kid he was and following their words to the heart.

It's rather terrifying really…time really does change people

_**Is there no way to save him?**_

_No…_I thought as I watched Judar collapse in exhaustion, a member picking him up and heading back to who knows where _there's no reversing this change, a crumpled paper can never be returned to its creaseless state after all…_

_**But isn't he my brother now? Or does falling into depravity mean I can cut my ties with the black magi? **_

_**Am I gonna abandon him again?**_

_Hah. Fuck no, I'm following them_

Well… I'm bored anyways, might as well see how this 'little brother' is doing…

I guess this is one of the times I could say I was blessed to have a small body again, since trailing the member carrying Judar (Why hadn't they just teleported? Does it have something to do with being in the White Palace instead of who-knows-where-their-hideout-is?) was absurdly easy, though I guess the reason was because…well…Rukh merged after all…you get the point.

(Now that I think of it, was that what that voice meant by not being a magician? Is my powers as a magician…given by Judar?)

So after a few seconds of trailing him like the awesome ninja I am (Seriously? I'm sneaking behind a thing that could kill me with a _flick_ of his wand, how am I still _joking around_?) I saw him enter a room and, after a few seconds of me hiding in a corner, left to who knows where.

Without Judar

I grinned

_Jackpot_

Careful not to alert anyone that might still be there, I silently crept into Judar's room, which was pretty easy since it was before the creation of that blasted squeaky doors.

It was a spacious room, which, unlike the other rooms in the palace, was painted dark purple and had little to no lighting. The only furniture here aside from the king sized bed with four bedposts on each side was a large closet holding what I could guess were the clothes assigned to him. On the end of the room was a balcony, the only source of light here, and even that was covered with dark heavy drapes that almost made it seem like it's purpose was to reject the light of the outside world completely.

_God, I hate this place already _I thought as I reluctantly entered the room, as I had already come this far _It's just so…so…_

_Isolating and lonely here_

"…Ugh…," I jumped when I heard a soft moan coming from the spacious bed, I gulped, the hell? Is he awake? But a second passed, and another, and another. After the tenth' sound, I let out a small huff of relief. God, that was scary.

What was that anyways? I dared myself to peer closer to the body unceremoniously tucked in the heavy sheets, the member didn't even think of removing those god forsaken clothes dammit! No wonder he was groaning in his sleep! He could barely breathe!

I grumbled as my mother hen instincts came up, trying not to make too much sounds, I got onto Judar's bed so that I could get that freakin' piece of clothing off him, leaving him in his under garments, a white kimono. Immediately afterwards, he started breathing normally again, though he was still groaning in his sleep, as if he was having a nightmare.

…Do they do this to him…everyday?

"That's actually…sad," I muttered before throwing the outer garment out of the bed in frustration. God, they were heavy, how could they make him wear this? I was a year older than him and even I admitted that they were an ass to wear.

_Is it because I let them get Judar?_

_Stop it! _I thought as I shook my head, my hands pinned on both sides of it _I didn't let them take him! I couldn't do anything! It's not my fault!_ _**It's not my fault!**__ It's their fault! __**Their fault! THEIR FAULT!**_In my denial, I failed to notice the Rukh surrounding me try to comfort me with their soothing words. But I couldn't hear them in the face of my hysteria

Until I was stopped by a single memory

_"Going all loco won't do you any good, brat,"_

…R-Right, Yui said- Yui said that, right?! I completely forgot about that time, why did I remember it only now?

…Ugh, doesn't matter, what matters is that I have to cool my head now. I might wake Judar up with all my hysteria, which seems pretty easy with all the tossing and turning he's doing from his 'nightmares'

(Or is it another consequence of falling into depravity?)

"..Huh? What the hell?" I couldn't stop it from escaping my lips when I saw something glint on Judar's left ear when he turned to his side. It was a single earring, the same kind that was hanging on my right ear.

**It was Sakaya's earring**

"…What the hell is it doing here?" I bit back my frustration as memories of a sickly yet much loved woman threatened to spill into my mind. He did not have a single earring in the manga, and he was never shown having them in his flashbacks. So what changed? Why does he have it now? Did I do something? Or is it just one of the little differences that appear in parallel universes like in my theory?

Not that it didn't help relieve some stress in me just looking at it on my little brother…

"Nghh," My thoughts were once again derailed at the sound of a small child groaning in his sleep, any form of hysteria deflated in me as I stared at the almost pitiful state of Judar, I'll think about whose fault it is later, right now…

Right now he needs sleep, doesn't he?

I sighed before crawling nearer to the child and, in a sentimental act of affection, carefully put his head on my lap and my arms hugging him slightly, just like how I would when we were just babies.

And sang

"_Lacrimosa dies illa,"_

"_Qua resurget ex favilla,"_

"_Judicandus homo reus,"_

"_Huic ergo parce Deus,"_

"_Pie Jesu Domine,"_

I let a smile grace my lips when I felt the child immediately relax in my arms, yes, I was stupid to think that a little black Rukh would stop this child from being my blood brother, half or not.

(Due to my thoughts, I didn't notice the amount of white Rukh surrounding us increasing slowly)

"_Judicandus homo reus,"_

"_Huic ergo parce Deus,"_

"_Pie Jesu Domine,"_

"…hah," I gasped a bit, it's been a while since I sang that, I can't believe I still remember it word by word. I guess there are some things you just can't forget.

_Good thing I didn't forget it though _I thought while I cradled the peacefully sleeping Judar in my arms, I didn't realize how much I missed this kind of thing…

If only it could last longer

"_**Run!" "Al Themen!"**_

The voices said only milliseconds before I felt _their _presence

_**God, no! Not now! Not when I just got to Judar!**_

_Never mind that! I have to run! _Ignoring the ache in my chest, I pushed Judar off my lap, leaped off the bed, and ran to the balcony, since the presences I felt were on the door I entered. For a second, I was conflicted whether to get Judar and leave with him, but a selfish voice in my head told me that _it's useless, they would just search for you, _and_ you had no chance to retrieve him. _

Gah, shut up already! I'm palpitating here!

Going outside the balcony, I was hoping to find a tree or something of the sorts so that I could climb down

There wasn't

Mother. Fucking. Hell. I. Am. So. **Dead…**_**Again**_

"Of all the _Motherfucking_ times!" I cursed and snarled at myself. I'm trapped! I don't want to get under their gazes! **I got to get out of here!**

But How?!

"_Just say my name with the intention to leave. Then I'll be by your side immediately,"_

…wait! That's it!

"Yunan!" I called out in panic, feeling the magic casted on my throat activate; the black Rukh was coming closer! God fucking dammit! Stay calm, Shirin! Inhale- Gah! Whatever! Just get me out of here!

_**I don't want to end up like Judar**_

I felt arms wrap around me before I recognized the voice

"Riri!" I saw the overjoyed look on Yunan's face, happy to finally get to see his daughter. But even that face was quickly shadowed once he saw my face and felt the Black Rukh come closer to this room. Before I could even utter an: _oh my god! Nanan! Get us out of here! _Nanan had already grabbed me by the waist and waved his staff, sending a flurry of White Rukh to surround us and take us to wherever he wants to go. A frown on his face

Just before we left, however, the thick curtains rustled slightly, as if someone was trying to pull it away from their path. Neither me nor Nanan were there anymore when the curtains froze and broke into crystallites, revealing a woman who looked at the scene in suspicion before turning to their captured magi standing beside her confusingly with a fake smile. For the child's Rukh had once again been enveloped with that blinding white that she had so detested.

As for the child, he could only wonder why he found himself out of that suffocating robe while lying on the ground, and why the members of Al Themen looked displeased by the sudden increase of the White Rukh around him.

However…what is currently in his mind was that eerie song he heard in his sleep…

Why…does he feel like he's heard it before…?

* * *

"That…was not how I imagined our reunion to be, Ririn,"

"It's not like I _wanted_ to get chased around by a bunch of Black Rukh surrounded weirdoes, Nanan,"

"Haha…that sarcasm of yours hasn't changed a bit,"

"…Sorry, I guess I'm still a bit winded up from what happened," I said in Yunan's arms. To which Yunan only smiled slightly as we flew through the ocean that we teleported to.

"Do you think you can tell Nanan about it?" Yunan said in a placate tone, but even with half a year of not being together, I was clearly able to hear the sheer curiosity beneath it. I grimaced, what the hell do I tell him?

_Actually, that kid is my little half-brother that was taken by Al Themen! Oh? How do I know this? It's because I know the future from reading a manga when I was still a college student in an alternate universe~!_

No Fucking hell am I saying that. The past will stay in the fucking past

(…gah, I really have to stop this swearing habit of mine, it's seriously getting unhealthy)

_But I have to say something, this is Nanan here, he deserves that much…_

"That boy in the room," I started, earning the curious look of Yunan aas he flew without a care of who would spot him "Yuu and Ren said that he was magi like Nanan…so I was curious…,"

_Sorry_

"The kid looked a lot like me too, so I watched him train with Al Themen, I never saw anyone with the same eyes as me before," That would have been true, If I knew what I looked like that is. There weren't any mirrors in Yunan's place, and I never really bothered to see my face, so I really didn't know if what I was saying had a shred of truth anymore.

_I'm sorry for lying_

"I followed him all the way to his bedroom- that's where you found me- when those freaks noticed my presence," I said, that part, at least, had a ring of truth "I freaked out and called for you, sorry," I felt Yunan pat me on the head, reassuring me that he wasn't upset or anything.

_But there's one thing I can tell you_

"But there was one thing that bothered me, actually," I said, uncertain if I should continue, but decided to press on, because in the end, it was gonna get out anyways. There's no use hiding it really. Besides, Nanan can keep a secret.

_Because you're my precious Nanan, I'll at least give you a hint_

"Why did his white Rukh feel exactly like mine?"

"…,"

"Nanan?"

"…Is that true?" Yunan said, his eyes calculating for a while before shrugging, something I really hadn't seen him do "I see, it makes perfect sense now," I blinked…what? That was not how I expected him to react.

"Ne, Ririn? You were only one year old when I found you, right?" at the confused nod of my head, he pressed on "You once told me that you couldn't remember much about your past, only that 'black birds' destroyed it," I held back a wince, right, I forgot that I didn't tell the full truth to Nanan. One year olds don't usually remember things in such detail after all.

"Did you know?" Yunan began "On the night I found you, I felt a sudden burst of Rukh connecting a village to the very place I found you? I didn't think anyone in the Kou Empire was adept in space and time magic, let alone use it on a person without the caster," I stared at him, what? Was that the reason why Nanan was there? Because he was curious about the teleportation?

"…So your saying…," I said slowly, pretending to seem confused "I'm from the Kou Empire?" At this, Yunan patted my head, a sign of approval concerning my way of thinking.

"Mhhm," He hummed "But that's not all, if what you said was true, then you and that boy are closer than you think, maybe even siblings," even at the sight of land reaching our vision, he continued "That would explain the influx of Rukh that momentarily appeared in the Kou Empire a year ago, after all, the first blood sibling of a magi in history must have some sort of destiny in store for her,"

Eh? Wait, I'm the first blood sibling of a magi? I didn't know that! Huh, I just thought it was coincidental really. How come the magi is born as a single child? Couldn't the parents get another child?

(…or does something happen to the parents too?)

"It would also explain your powers,"

"Huh? I thought I'm a magician like Nanan!" I protested. What? Just because I'm the sister of a magi means I automatically can't use magic? The hell is that? But instead of answering, Nanan merely shook his head with a hum, still striding through the air as the land got closer, it was an island between two large pieces of land. My eyes widened when I noticed the large vertical building nestled in said island, as well as the army situated on the foot of the island.

What the- This scene!

_**It's happening already?**_

"Nanan!" I said, pointing at the tower, hoping that my guess was wrong; their appearance was like, when? 16? 14? Years ago? What are the chances that I'd escape just when _this _scene was happening? "What's that?"

Yunan blinked at the tower for a second and smiled down at me "You didn't think your Nanan would just sit around and wait for half a year, would you?" I winced, gah, now I feel all guilty "It's called a dungeon, all you need to know is that, in it, is a power that can rule over all,"

_The power of a Djinn_

"Let's go up and see what's happening, shall we?" Without a moment's notice, he flew faster to the island, until we were hovering right above it. Just in time to hear the opening speech of the general. My eyes narrowed.

Why is he changing the subject?

My thoughts drifted off when, for the first time, I heard the words I read being spoken for real

"Gentlemen," The commander said from the top of the hill, my head snapped towards him as I heard him speak the lines I never thought would leave the manga "As a soldier, do you know what the most fearsome thing is?"

_Oh God_

"Is it failure in a mission? Is it flinching in front of enemies? Is it getting defeated?"

_It's really happening, isn't it?_

"NO! No sir! None of those!" The general said, his voice rising to a shout "It's losing the pride of the Partevian soldier! To forget who you are, to lose your pride, that's a soldier's greatest fear!"

"Don't flinch! Don't step back! Cast your life away! That's the pride of Partevian soldiers!"

"ADVANCE!"

From above, I could see the determined faces of the army as they shout their battle cry, rushing into the dungeon with grim and determined faces. I gritted my teeth, ignoring the look Nanan had on his face at the sight.

None of them will make it out alive.

* * *

_I think I'm traumatized of black rukh. Understandable, it did kill my father_

_I didn't tell this to Nanan, but sometimes I get nightmares about them. It was always the same dream, I was being devoured by black rukh, as if I was food to them. All the while, screams would resonate, screams so hateful__**scared**__painful that it hurt just hearing them. I would always wake up just before I was devoured completely, completely drained._

_I'd do anything to make them stop_

_For now though, the nightmares have dulled, and were continuing our journey as if it never ended, I think Nanan said something about Partevia? Oh well._

_See you next journal entry;_

_Shirin_

_PS. I'll just call you DJM the next time I write on you. Diary/ Journal/ Memento of a reincarnated sap is a bit too long._

_PSS. Sorry for not updating you for so long, there's only so many places I can write on you, hope you didn't get lonely!_

* * *

"Nanan? Is it alright to sit in this barrel?"

"Of course! We've done it before! What makes this time different?"

"W-Well _*sigh*_ Never mind," I grumbled when Yunan had somehow fitted both of us in a barrel without having to remove any of the fruits, was it just that the barrel was big of I was just tiny? Meh, it doesn't matter, at least it blocks out the sun.

It's been a few days since we saw the army enter the dungeon, and never coming back. Yunan and I decided to continue our little world travel by going to Partevia, since we hadn't went there yet. On the way though, the sun got a little too hot for both of us, so we decided to hitch a ride on this caravan that was traveling to said Empire. Like always, Nanan enters the nearest barrel there, which was a barrel of fruits, without the owners of the caravan knowing.

This was just like the manga

I curled my fists and bit my lip. You know? Despite the fact that I was being raised by someone I had thought was fictional, I never really connected this life with the events of magi. The only time I did was when I was uselessly thinking of a plan to protect my family from dying like in the series. Some help that did.

But now? It only just occurred to me that the events wouldn't stop just because I ignored them.

The problem was…what do I do now?

I told myself that I wanted nothing to do with the events of magi. I really was satisfied with living with Nanan for the rest of my life. It's not like I wanted to change much of the plot line anyways. Of course, there were parts were I wished something else happened, like the death of Dunya or the capture of Judar. But all the rest? As much as I hated to admit it, it's all needed. My mere presence would just get in the way of the things that really needed to happen.

I was just an extra in this play

Aren't I?

"…Ne? Ririn? How was your stay in the empire?" I blinked and looked up at Nanan, which was hard since the barrel was small.

"…It was really boring at first. Everyone tried sucking up to me cause you were my Nanan," I said, expecting the magi to reprimand me for cussing, but to my shock, he just hummed with a smile

"Then it got better when the emperor's kids – the guys we saw in the child's play room- decided to play with me, I kinda lost track of time after that," I continued, still eyeing the magi, even with the darkness of the barrel, I could see Yunan's relaxed face, his eyes closed as his smile seemed to be more calming than anything while holding me in his arms, it was like he was in a trance.

"…Nanan? Are you okay?" I asked after a few seconds of silence, jerking the magi awake, I grimaced, what was that all about?

"Hmm? Oh! Sorry," Nanan said to me "I guess it's been a while since we did this sort of thing, I have to say that I missed having someone with me my travels," I winced, right, while I was goofing off in the Kou empire, he was probably waiting patiently for that third month, only to find that I didn't want to go back to him yet. I shouldn't have forgotten Nanan like that.

Waah, now I feel guilty

"Sor- Wha!?" I yelped when the caravan we were in stopped abruptly, almost ending me crashing to the wooden ball of the barrel, had Nanan not been holding me at the time.

"What the fucking hell?!"

"Ririn! How many times do I have to tell you?! Language!"

Huh, guess nostalgia can only hide so much

"Gah, never mind that! What's happening out there?" I asked myself before getting the courage to peek out of our safe sanctuary of barrel wood and nice smelling fruits

Only to flop it back down with a crash

"Shit! The caravan got ambushed!" I informed my Nanan, who only blinked at my panic. Normally, people would understand if I was irritated by it, since it was like he really didn't think it was all that bad. But for a magi, it really wasn't. Heck, when I got captured by slave trader in Balbadd, I wasn't all that scared either, cause I knew that Nanan would save me.

(Though I was terrified beyond my wits when I saw Nanan obliterate the base, God/Solomon that was creepy…)

But this is _different. _I'm not panicking because I thought we were in danger, I'm panicking because _I knew what was gonna happen next._

Oh god, is this really?

My answer came in three different ways

First: The shrilly cries of men being sucker punched was heard, followed by the voices of women and a boy

Second: Said voices started getting louder, as if they were getting closer to our barrel. One of the voices even said something about 'prized fruits'

And third?

The barrel lid opened, leading the two of us to stare straight at the four other people, one of them being a fourteen year old boy who had an odd shade of hair

Purple

And only one person had purple hair in the series

Sinbad the sailor – or as he is called in the future – the king of Sindria

And so begins the events of 'The Adventures of Sinbad'

…

…

…

…God, fucking dammit, why the hell does this happen to me?

* * *

**+18,000 words, oh my god T-T**

**First, Did you guys like it? I hope to get more review out of you, since very few people reviewed the last chapter.**

**About Shirin's magician problem – Technically speaking, Shirin was not born as a magician, I believe magicians are born by blood, save for the magi. However, in the previous chapter, you find that Judar had 'merged' Rukh with her. Basically, Shirin could use magic, but she's not a magician, as her magic is merely due to Judar. That's what Yunan meant about her not being a magician. **

**Artificial magicians are different from her, however. In my opinion, the process of becoming an artificial magician has something to do with activating the power within by force, like how magi in ****Fate/Stay Night ****activate their magic circuits. Shirin never activated hers, though she will use her magoi, she is not the one who actually owns it. So she's technically classified as non-magician, through others will…well…say otherwise**

**Speaking of which, that scene where she sings a lullaby to Judar and the white Rukh increase? It's not the song, mind you. Due to Judar falling into depravity, most of his white Rukh fled to Shirin, who he merged with, just being in close proximity will encourage the Rukh to leach on to Judar again. Though the song itself serves as a calming effect, since it doesn't matter how much the White Rukh would want to go back to Judar if his body is rejecting it too much.**

**If anyone has complains about the characters, please tell me, not if it's Judar though. As a kid, he didn't seem as…talkative? He looked withdrawn and silent really (still snobbish though) this was also before he started going against Al Themen's orders a bit due to (most likely) puberty**

**I personally didn't like many parts of this chapter, but for the heck of me, I just couldn't think of any other was to get around it.**

**Please review guys! Really, review**


	4. Stage of Beginnings

**Yeah…you know what? I have no excuse, so I'll go straight to the point.**

**Here's part of the chapter that you've been waiting for, it was cut off due to me not finding a decent way to intersect two particular scenes. I was supposed to finish the entire Baal arc in this chapter, but I underestimated how many scenes there would be. Hopefully it would satisfy you guys just a little bit, this chapter kept on getting deleted and re done so many times that it's not funny anymore.**

**HEADS UP! I added a few more scenes in the previous chapter to be more appealing to me. It's a thing isn't it? I always edit my previous chapter before updating. I'd appreciate it if you guys reviewed there too.**

**IMPORTANT HEADS UP! There's some important clarifications on the author's note at the end of the chapter, please read it and share your thoughts.**

**Now that I think of it, I really should put a **_**WARNING **_**in my fanfics. Through it should be allowed in this rating, I suppose Shirin's foul mouth at the moment can leave a few of the more polite readers queasy for a while. Don't worry, she'll grow out of it, through she'll still cuss, just…not as often as now. **

**DISCLAIMER: Aside from my OC, Shirin, no other element in this story belongs to me, but to Shinobu Ohtaka, may the will of the Rukh be with her!**

* * *

Destiny's Play

Chapter 4:

Stage of Beginnings

.

His name is Sinbad

* * *

**Partevia Empire – Road to Tison Village – Late Afternoon**

"This sucks! Why is it so hot here!?"

"Ririn! No cussing!"

"Ha, first time I've heard a kid swear more than a sailor, it's like, what? The eight time you swore?"

"Oi! I didn't ask for your opinion, asshole!"

"Could you mind your manners at least? If it weren't for this boy, we would have been serious trouble," I pouted when Yunan reprimanded me, I would have crossed my arms too, but with me sitting on his shoulders and his hat covering my body against the heat, that was pretty impossible if I didn't want to fall. Beside us, the boy I just cussed at gave a small chuckle, to which was returned with a glare from me.

Which didn't have much effect, since it's only effects were making the boy's chuckles grow, the tail of his long purple hair swing as he walked

Gah, this kid irritating, I never liked Sinbad, he's just so irritating to look at. He was too much of manipulative womanizer in the manga; at least Kouen doesn't hide it. But this is different, I know him now, I've officially met the guy that I hate less than every other bitchy villain in the series, but still pretty much hated.

And it only confirmed it

I still do not like him

_*Sigh* _I bet you're confused. After the initial they-find-us-in-a-barrel-with-a-bunch-of-fruit incident, the events coincided with what happened in the manga… Meaning they toppled us out of the barrel while screaming like a bunch of banshees, accusing us as thieves. Through normally, I would understand their hysterics, I got a _little bit_ pissed off when the youngest of the three started calling me and Yunan liars when we tried to explain.

"_Oi! Who ya fuckin' calling a liar, ya retarded brat?! I bet a bunch of flies flew into that mouth of yours with how long it's been open!"_

"_RIRIN! Don't anger them!"_

…O-okay, maybe a bit is under exaggerating it…

T-To be fair! She kept on shouting _"Liar! Liar! Liar!"_ whenever Yunan or I tried explaining! If that doesn't piss you off, than I don't know what will! I'm still really high strung from that quick escape back in Kou Empire too! Plus, even though it a bit hypocritical for me with how much I've done so, I hate it when I'm accused as a liar, especially when I know I'm not lying.

(Plus, they made Nanan cry)

Through I guess that wasn't the right thing to say, especially to a kid, since the girl started bawling and the two elder sisters got even angrier at us. I on the other hand was startled a bit, even when we visited the Toran village, I never met anyone my physical age that cried like that. So seeing this kid that looked about my age or older, crying like the baby she really was, it was like a slap at the face. That's how kids my age are supposed to react.

And I don't act like that at all.

Due to my momentary shock, I didn't notice a certain purple headed male who was cautiously watching this come up and cool down the three women as they launched their fangs at Nanan. I only got back to reality when Nanan drew me back, letting the ball of fruit miss me. The fourteen-year-old kid continued trying to calm the women down as he shielded us from most of their wrath with his body.

Now I had to hand it to him then, that was a pretty heroic thing to do, and I was almost gaining respect for the future 'womanizer of the seven seas'.

Then _that _happened.

Sinbad did something that reminded me why I started disliking him in the first place.

He _flirted _with them.

Actually, no, I wouldn't hate the guy for just being flirt; it was more like he was charming them with good looks and well-mannered hospitality, that itself was alright. What **irked **me was the way the women practically latched on him only a second after that! It was like they were bipolar or something! One minute they were ready to tear our heads off and burn what remains of our bodies, the next thing I knew, they were flaunting over Sinbad like he was some prince charming that came to give them their happily ever after!

The hell, women!? Where's your pride?!

I know that's a very bias hate for the guy, but it really pissed me off when women just…just _flaunted _themselves over him! Take Kougyoku for instance! Yeah, I know that maybe part of why she became so infatuated with Sinbad was because she was desperate for a real love life before she was given to that pompous bastard known as Alibaba's eldest brother! But the way she just acted around him was…ridiculous! It didn't help that Sinbad saw her and the others as pieces needed to keep his country safe!

…I just can't see him the same way after what he did to Kougyoku…

_And that's not even the __**real **__reason why I hated the guy…_

"By the way," Yunan said, breaking my thoughts "We haven't really introduced ourselves yet, I'm Yunan, and this little child is my daughter, Shirin," I grumbled when Sinbad gave us both a smile "We're travelers,"

"Thank you for clearing their misunderstanding before it became serious," Nanan said, before turning his head back to the road in a wistful manner "I…didn't know that it's not right to sit in a barrel without asking first," I hid a chuckle at the face Sinbad had at that line, yeah, we got those faces all the time

Yunan sighed "It was such a dark, narrow, and comforting place too. Such a shame, don't you think, Ririn?"

I sighed "Yeah, too bad those jerks kicked us out,"

Nan grimaced "What did I tell you about insulting them? I thought you learned your lesson when you apologized to the little girl?"

"W-well, it was her fault!" I stammered "She kept on cutting you Nanan!" At this, Nanan only shook his head as he and Sinbad walked through the roads to Sinbad's hometown. Even though he was able to calm the women, Sinbad still had to promise them to take us away from the three women, just to ease their minds.

I kinda feel guilty, I mean, just a few seconds prior, they were attacked by bandits; of course they were riled up. I bit my lip in frustration, why did I act like that to them despite understanding their situation? I was never this easily riled up by kids, in fact, I never really had any problems with kids in my past life.

Without realizing, my eyes widened at a horrible realization.

Is it...because I'm a kid as well..?

It's just a theory, but it was a theory that I really didn't want anyone to prove. This mind..._this soul_...may belong to me - Leia - but this body is _fresh and new_, it didn't go through puberty yet, it didn't feel the pressures of adulthood yet. Despite me remembering clearly, what is right or wrong due my experiences, this body does not contain any of these things. It's like playing a game all over again with the player having played it a thousand times before, it does not change the fact that this new character is not the same one that you used before.

Only this time, "the character" and "the player" are one.

I hid further into Nanan's hat to avoid anyone noticing my expression, which was most likely as troubled as my thoughts. That would explain why I had thoughtlessly wandered away from Nanan despite knowing that it was dangerous back in Balbad. Through I knew the fact; the body...Shirin...had yet to learn the consequences of it and overcame my logical reasoning. Before I realized what I've done, I was already gagged and kidnapped...

If this body's curiosity and instincts can overcome my own experiences and knowledge...what else can it do...?

Can it...can it tamper with my _memories_?

I may have already written what I needed to write in my journal, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to forget. I know that I'll eventually begin to forget about my past as years flew by, and I know that there isn't a real reason for me to cling to my past anymore, but the idea of forgetting the faces and names of the people I loved dearly for so long sounds terrifying.

It _is_ terrifying

_I don't-_

"You okay there?"

"Hm?" I looked up from Nanan's hat to see the future king look at me strangely as they walked. I frowned; did he notice something wrong with my behavior? That's not good; I'd rather not have to explain my silence to him if I want to make it through the day without cussing anymore. Instead of answering the boy's honest question, I let my childish instincts take over unconsciously and stuck my tongue out at the future king, yearning a twitch and a frown from the sailor.

Yunan kept silent

Surrounding us, the Rukh fluttered worriedly

* * *

**Partevia Empire – Tison Village – Late Afternoon**

Sinbad's hometown was the staple of unprivileged living

Even though I knew this, it was still quite a shocker for me when I realized that towns as financially dead as these gave birth to such emotionally healthy citizens. Through they did need the push of Sinbad's own father to get there. It just goes to show you that humanity is more complex than one knows.

"Another town ransacked by war…," I heard Nanan say to me as he and I watched Sinbad happily greet the equally joyful villagers. The town itself wasn't that surprising really, me and Nanan had passed by a couple of towns in this condition as well all over the world. But the people in those towns matched the town itself, the people were dead inside there; they lost all hope of raising their status or doing anything aside keeping themselves alive. These people however, showed no such sign of desperation despite being fully aware of their situation. I suppose it's admirable, if my past life was in such a situation, she would have died early.

_But that's not fair to my past life either _I reasoned to myself as I hid further into Nanan's hat to block out the sun rays, there literally wasn't a cloud in the sky to block out that annoying ray of sunlight. _She could have never grown up like these people with her overprotective father, ever-caring mother, and over-the-top little brother; she became the best she could be from such a normal family._

_And yet she died, at thirty two for heaven's sake. _I felt sweat drip down my cheek

_Hopefully this life would go on a little longer than before_

"Ririn? Can I ask you something?"

"Hm?" I peeked out of Nanan's green hat curiously – That Sinbad is _still _greeting the townsfolk – and looked down at Nanan, despite the fact that from my angle, I couldn't really see his expression, I had this wild guess that he was also looking at the teen with purple hair. "What's up, Nanan?" I asked

"Aside from you? Something that's been bothering me actually," Nanan said with a playful tone, and I couldn't stop the grin creeping in on my face like the stalker it was, through that grin slowly fell off when Nanan finally asked his question.

"Why are you so hostile with the boy, Sinbad?"

"…eh?" I said, unsure how to answer. Yunan let out a huff at this, through to me, it looked more like a pout "Ririn, do you think I'm blind, deaf, _and _dumb? You obviously disliked the boy even before he introduced himself to us despite helping us earlier, you even threw a fruit at him when he walked towards us," I twitched, right, I forgot I did that really, pretty easy to forget things like that.

"I understand that even now, your startled by the appearance of the black Rukh back in Kou Empire, but you acted like you usually would to the people we met before we got into that caravan," I frowned at the observation. I suppose that would be suspicious, guess I should have thought things through before throwing that fruit at the kid.

Still worth it though

"Is something the matter? If so, please tell your Nanan about it so I can help you, frowning and shouting all the time like that isn't good for a growing child…as said by that mother from Toran," Nanan asked gently. I came with the realization as to how far Nanan's gone in the path of Child raising, sure he has his quirks, but compared to just three years ago, he's improved exponentially.

I have to say, I'm kinda proud of him for that

"Well…," I said, unsure how to explain to my foster parent that I hate this teenager solely because I read a bunch of paper from a world where this world was a mere story in a much older body that wasn't related by blood to a war loving villain named Judar. "He…irritates me? Yeah, that sounds right; his very presence irritates me,"

"…how so?" Had I been at the right state of mind to pick it out, I would have noticed the odd sounding tone Nanan used in that instant.

"I don't know!" I snapped, unused to having to answer complicated questions at such heat, it's a miracle that the crowd didn't hear us "He just irritates me for some reason! The way that guy moves just makes no sense to me! He just swoops in and suddenly everything's alright in the world?! The hell is that!?" Shit, I'm ranting things again, and a bit of it sounds too much like I'm referencing the entire manga to be safe. "That guy reminds me of a complete asshole trying to hide it! He's like stupid Politics incarnate!" I took a deep, mostly theatrical, breath to calm myself down. Theatrical or not, it works for me.

By my side, the Rukh fluttered worriedly

Gah, I suddenly feel all tired for some reason…

"…It's just," I said, resting my chin on Nanan's silver like hair as I looked towards the direction of my subject of choice, the purple haired teenager about ten years older than me "I don't know why but…when I see that brat, I can only see a very dishonest and manipulative man,"

Because that is what a king has to be for his country.

And as long as there is still a chance for the sins he has caused to be done in the future, I may never like that man.

"…I see," Nanan said, his voice calculating, but I ignored it for now. No doubt he saw the potential Sinbad had if he became a king vessel. He hated Sinbad in the future, right? I still don't know why. Not that I care really, it's not like I want to dive head first into the plot.

So things like these shouldn't bother me, right? Right.

"By the way," Suddenly the voices grew a bit louder. Looking up, I realized that one of the women from the group, a heavily built mother carrying a large clump of what appears to be wheat, was actually looking towards me and Yunan "Why don't you introduce us to your friends?"

…wait, huh? Friends? I don't see anyone like that around he- oh…she meant us…

In a blink of an eye, the group of children that were hovering around Sinbad just a few seconds ago was encircling Nanan in wonder and puzzlement. One of the children, a boy with around three at most with a bandanna covering his head, came over and tugged one of Nanan's green leg flaps in curiosity, while another kid, a slightly older girl wearing pigtails, spotted me on Yunan's shoulders and pointed at me.

"He wears funny clothes!" "There's a kid on his head too!" The children said at the same time, I snickered, I suppose kids will be kids.

"Hey, Hey, don't you know that if you point at people, bad things will happen to them?" I told the little girl with a grin too wide to be seen as a child's innocent smile. At once, the children's eyes grew wide in surprise, and said their apologies. I just laughed and forgave them, its best that they know good manners after all, it would be bad if they pointed at someone of high status and accidentally insult said person, there's a reason why manners were made.

"The man's name is Yunan, and the brat on his shoulders is his daughter Shirin. Their travelers I helped at the harbor," Sinbad sa- wait, did he just call me a brat?! How there that womanizing future king?! I'm gonna- "They'll be staying at my house tonight,"

All at once, the laughter subsided, and I looked around to find that the grins on the adult's faces were fading fast, with the children looking at their mothers in confusion. I grimaced, right; they have bad memories concerning travelers, don't they? A traveler was the reason why Soldiers took the father of the boy that they now work together. They have every reason to be apprehensive.

"A…A foreigner?"

After all, travelers will also be the reason why the last of Sinbad's family will leave the town for good.

Nanan looked around in confusion at the sudden silence; a look of worry was most likely on his face right about now. But I honestly wasn't worried, so I didn't share the tension the rest had. I knew what was gonna happen here after all.

So I don't need to worry.

_That _is _gonna happen…right?_

"Nah," The heavily built woman said, breaking the tension with a confidant smile "If it's Sinbad's decision, its fine with me. We believe in you," Sinbad smiled a bit at that, I could only guess what he's thinking then.

To have gained the ultimate trust from the entire village as a child, you can just see it in his eyes, the potential of the king

"Thank You, Everyone,"

* * *

**Partevia Empire – Tison Village – Sinbad's House - Evening**

"Is this gonna hu- OW! FU-FUN! THIS IS SO NOT FUN!"

"Ha, that's one close save, brat,"

"Shut the hell up, Girly hair,"

"Girly- I'm the model of manliness!"

"What a nice relationship you two have," Sinbad looked at his mother with a shocked expression, as if he couldn't believe she saw my relationship with the asshole as anything but maddening, I would have been giving the mother the same look if it wasn't for the fact that she was fixing my hair.

After Sinbad left the group of women to do their own thing, he strolled through the town with us in tow, with me walking on the ground again since it wasn't that hot anymore and my legs were going numb. It took us till nightfall to reach Sinbad's house really, given that it's close to the ocean. Before we entered their house, however, he made both of us promise that we wouldn't trouble his mother who was sick (he looked at me especially at that, which I replied with a tongue). He didn't have to tell me really, I knew what kind of woman his mother is, and I knew what her current condition was. I was a doctor in my previous life after all; I'm serious towards patients like her.

She was also a really nice woman too, and I'm not a dick to people nice to me, Sinbad not included.

After we (…I, after _I_) pledged that, no we will not harm or upset the sickly and kind mother of Sinbad the sailor, he let us in the house and introduced us to the woman he proudly called his mother.

She was a mess.

Not that I wasn't expecting that of course, I met a few unlucky patients in my time as a college student that looked like they could use someone to fix them up, but usually they _do _have someone to help them. Esla on the other hand looked as sick as she really was, with her clothes all ruffled from weariness, eye bags permanently etched bellow her half-laden eyes, and her clumpy braid that I'm not even sure was ever removed from her hair. Even if Sinbad constantly took care of her, there just aren't enough supplies to keep her 100% clean like every patient should. In fact, judging by her current state, even if her illness magically disappeared, with how long she's been just resting in bed instead of walking around and the lack of any sufficient warmth to push away the cold gust that the ocean carries, her body would be much too weak to ever be the woman first introduced in the manga.

Despite all that, she smiled at us with so much energy, it's moving I suppose.

Knowing all that, why the hell am I letting this sickly woman fuss over my hair?

"Ma'am, don't you think you should be resting?" Nanan – thank God/Solomon he knew what I was thinking about – asked the surprisingly energetic woman "Pardon if I insulted you, but you don't really look like you're in the condition to fix Ririn's hair,"

"And leave the poor girl with a bird's nest for hair? Nonsense," The woman said gently as she combed by shockingly tangled hair, I guess staying under Nanan's hat has its consequences "Besides," She gave a pointed look at Yunan "How could you let your own daughter's hair get this unkempt? Don't you know that a woman's hair is her pride?"

Esla's sudden swing in the mood must have shocked Yunan a bit, since he jumped and had small trickles on his eyes "I-I didn't! And her hair isn't usually that messy either!" I wanted to nod at this, but I was worried that I might forcefully rip Esla's hand off my hair, which really isn't a pleasant feeling for both of us. Instead, I just agreed with Nanan.

"It's true!" I said "Really! It just got messy because it was under a hat! So please don't get angry at Nanan!" From the corner of my eye, I say Esla smile at me before giving a giggle.

"My, your quite the mature child, alright, I'll forgive your father for now," She said before taking her hands off my hair "There, that should do it, now you won't have to worry about getting tangled hair that often, Sin, could you please give her the mirror?"

Before I could ask her what she meant, a small mirror suddenly came into my vision, revealing on its reflection a small, chubby face with bright red eyes and black hair cascading just above her eyes in an oddly familiar fashion. Through the hair was still debatably messy, it was all contained into one long braid tied with a worn out piece of cloth. It took me a second to realize that this girl was me.

Five thoughts came to me afterwards

First: _Wow, I never knew eyes could be this __**red **__before…did I get my eyes from mother? I always did love her eyes…_

Second: _Well I guess I wasn't lying to Nanan about me and Judar having the same eye color, what a relief…_

Third: _This braid looks really nice…but did my bangs always look like this? It looks a lot like Judar's…_

Fourth: _...Holy Shit, I look __**exactly **__like Judar_

And the Fifth?

_Shit, so much for living a normal life, I'm screwed._

I seriously could have fainted right there and then. Why the hell do I have Judar's face?! He's not even my full blooded sibling! Did we really just get our appearances from Sayaka?! Through now that I think about it, My Father and Judar's dad looked a lot alike too, the only difference were their facial features and the obvious lack of muscles my father had. Still though, what are the chances I would look **exactly **like Judar?

Very low actually

Gah…I feel faint

"…So how do you like it?" A voice echoed, startling me back to reality before I could pass out, thank God/Solomon too, or else I may have made a scene. Turning around to face the one who spoke, I was gonna tell her I liked it before pausing at something that caught my attention. For one, her braid looked rather loose for some reason, looking closer at the end of the braid, I noticed that the tie, a worn out piece of cloth, used on her hair was missing. Looking down on my own braid, I saw the worn out piece of cloth tied securely on my hair.

_She…_

"It's lovely, Mrs. Esla! Thank You!" I said with the biggest and most sincere smile I could manage, because if I don't the shock and guilt might show in my face. Resources were scarce, and it's not really hard to come up with the idea that this woman here wouldn't be using such an old piece of cloth if she had a spare. Despite that, she gave it to some stranger's child, who is also a traveler, the very kind of person that was the reason why she is now a widow.

Why did she do that? I may never know really…since she may die soon…

"Look Nanan! Now we match!" I said to my foster parent, who smiled happily before giggling.

No one saw the way the purple headed boy's smile seemed to fade for a second at the sight.

* * *

_**? - ? - ?**_

"_You'll fall asleep if you just stare at the lake like that,"_

_She dreamt she was in a forest, a great green forest._

_In this forest was a large lake with clear waters, so clear that even the sunken pebbles on the damp ground of the lake could escape the penetrating light of the sun. Surrounding this lake like an elaborate wreathe was a circle of crimson and white spider lilies, the red easily over numbering the white ones as they sway in the wind. _

_It felt like a graveyard_

"_No I won't" She said, not once looking away from the crystal lake she was gazing at, for as beautiful as it was, she knew that it's beauty was only fleeting and that she would quickly forget about it once the sun rises. She was sitting on top of a field of red flowers, uncaring how dirt was getting on her legs and how her shoes were digging onto the soft ground. "I could stay like this forever,"_

"_There is more to a forest than just a lake," The voice said again, it was an odd voice. She couldn't tell whether the voice was male or female, young or old, far or near, as if it was a whisper and a shout and a speech and a sheik all in one. "If you leave the lake and go north, you'll find a young a sapling that will become a tree of gold, go further, and you will find a tome that speaks to all that are willing to listen, and further still, is a baby eagle who would become a loyal companion if you just reach your hand to it,"_

"_And why should I care about them?" The woman said, still facing forward, still stubborn to the end "They are not my family. I don't need to care about anyone but my family,"_

"_There is nothing for you here," the voice said sadly "You have denied, you have raged, you have gambled, now you must go on,"_

"_I have gambled and I have won the gamble," She said again, "Our memories are here. I will not leave them behind,"_

"_Memories are only precious because you can leave their roots yet still have them in your heart, "The voice pleaded, "But the living is still there. New memories are still there. There is nothing wrong with moving on,"_

_The woman did not say anything immediately, but she still sat in front of the lake, she still continued to look forward stubbornly, she still refused to turn her head to face the owner of the voice._

"_Then there is nothing wrong with staying still,"_

_The voice seemed to sigh sadly_

_"Are you so blind from your regrets that you wish for eternal stillness...?"_

_The woman smiled_

_"Yes, for it was the one wish that was never granted,"_

* * *

**Partevia Empire – Tison Village – Sinbad's House – Early Morning**

"OwowowOW! Let go already!"

"W…waaah..? Whaat's wiith all the nooise?!"

"I'll stop if you let go of my hair!"

"…Oh, Good morning _Sinbaka_, were you the one screaming like a pansy?"

"Sin- what does that even _mean?_" Said boy looked at me ludicrously for a before once again trying to pull his hair out of my- my? Why am I grabbing his hair? Huh must be reflexive – hand, this time successfully. Sinbad gave me a hard stare for a second, as if waiting for an apology.

"…So…were you the one screaming like a girl? Or did a screaming girl pass by us?" I honestly asked him, because…well that was a really high pitched scream! He's fourteen right?! Puberty should be doing its thing by now! Why does his scream still sounds like that of a kid? Or maybe he unconsciously just makes it higher pitch for some reason? I knew that people could scream that high, but I never saw it being done by a guy before…

"…Ririn…," I heard Nanan say with that 'I-know-that-you-know-that-you-need-too-apologize-so-apologize-already' tone, and I sighed in defeat, fine, guess I'll never know who screamed that.

"I'm sorry," I said, meaning it, because for all my hatred for the boy, I never intended to pull his hair in the first place. At my sincere apology, Sinbad brightened up a bit, a told me that I looked like i was having a nightmare of sort and he got worried, so he tried to wake me up, only for my hand to pull down his ponytail.

Huh, a nightmare? I don't even remember having a dream, what's he talking about?

Instead of saying it aloud, however, I was silenced by the soft giggling of two different parents. Sinbad must have heard it too, because both of us turned our heads to the source of the sound in synchronization, finding Esla and Yunan looking at us with fond smiles and giggling mouths.

"MOM!" "NANAN!"

I regretfully admit that we also said that in synchronization

"I-I'm sorry for laughing, Sin," Esla said after she removed the mouth covering her face "But it's been a while since I've seen you get this riled up by a child. The last time that happened was when-,"

"M-Mom! Not in front of the guests!" Sinbad squeaked – not joking here, he _squeaked_ – in panic as he hushed his mother, his face brighter than even my eyes. I grinned madly.

"No! Do tell! It sounds like an interesting tale!" I cheered, only to be shushed by Nanan

"Don't you think you're teasing him a bit too much for the morning, Ririn?" Nanan said with a smile, aw~, but i really wanted to know~!

…fine, I'll stop for now.

"Anyways," Sinbad changed the subject of the situation with a huff before handing out two hot bowls of white soup and stale bread "Here's breakfast!" We thanked him for the meal before starting on the bowls, only for both of us to pause at the utter lack of taste in either of them. I shrugged, well it did say in the manga that whatever this is was tasteless, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up that this world had made that different.

Oh well, this is where my necklace come in handy.

Without thinking, I touched my necklace and poured a bit of my magoi in it; soon enough, the magoi I was giving out entered the necklace and came back to me in the form of a spice racket sitting on the floor. I squealed in delight at this, I really love this necklace.

"Wah!" "What the-?!"

_Hm?_ I looked up to find Sinbad and Esla shocked beyond repair _Shit, I forgot that this was the time before sketchy king found out about magic _I looked at them with a sheepish smile

"Ha…Ha…? I guess you've never seen magic tools before then…," I said, a bit queasy too. Fuck, did I just change something in the plot? Please don't tell me I changed something in the plot! I don't want to have any consequence!

"…Magic...tools?" Esla said, as if the word was in another language, which to her might as well be "What are those?"

"There just as you said it really, tools used to simulate magic," Yunan said helpfully as he took the oregano-like spice from the racket and sprinkled quite a lot in his soup, eliciting me to do the same, getting the crushed locrami leaves and pouring half of them in the soup before drinking it.

_Ah~ tastes like chicken~_

"I'm sure you all know about magic, correct?" at the two now interested purple heads' nods, Yunan continued after he took a sip "Magic tools are created as a secondary magic, as it can usually only do one kind of spell. The good thing about magic tools, however, is that they can be used by almost anyone, as long as they have the capacity to use them," meaning as long as the user has enough magoi, but since it was unlikely that Sinbad and Esla knew what magoi was, so Nanan skipped it.

"Magic tools were originally created to let magicians do magic still too high up for them really," I looked down in my bowl with a sigh as Nana continued talking, empty already? "But what the woman who created magic tools didn't see was that it could also be used by non-magicians, since then, many kinds of magic tools were created and given to non-magicians. This trinket you see here-," he pointed at my necklace "-was actually given to me by a relative of said woman back in Reim Empire. As long as the user has the capacity, they can store and take out as many items as they wish. Though the more the user puts in, the harder it is to take it out," meaning my necklace with drain a butt load of magoi from me every time I put things in or out the necklace if it gets crowded.

"Amazing…," I heard Esla muttered as Sinbad nodded his head in agreement. I hummed in amusement, I suppose for people who had never seen anything out of the ordinary in their lives, things like magic and the things it could do were supernatural for them. I remember freaking out too when I saw Nanan conjure up a tea set out of the rukh. But when I started my own magic lessons, I found that it was much harder than they showed it to be.

Still, that was news to me. I didn't know that magic tools were made by a woman for the magicians. And what's a magician doing in Reim Empire? Did Nanan get it after the Magician Revolution?

"Now that we got that out of the way, I've got to get going!" I perked up at the sound of Sinbad getting up from his sitting position and heading off. Wait, wasn't this part of the manga too?

…I…

I want to see it!

I forgot what happened exactly, but I'm pretty sure this is the turning point of the series! Sure I'd hate to be a pivotal point in the story, but that doesn't mean I don't want to see guys reciting the words in the manga in real life!

"Hey! Sinbaka! Take me with you!"

Besides, it's not like there would be any harm to it? Right?

"Wa- Fine fine! You can come with me!" The teen said, "Just let go and walk on your own!" I grinned at the future manipulator, feeling my childish tendencies breaking the stubborn adult that knows, _knows, _what this boy will soon be capable of.

"By the way, what on earth is _Sinbaka_?"

"Dude, the fact that you don't know just _screams_ the name, _screams_,"

…

…

…

"Those two," The blond haired father sighed as he shook his head from side to side. "They didn't even say goodbye," Taking the bowls of broth and piling them to the side for future washing (he could have cleaned them with magic, but with the boy's mother awake, he didn't want to startle her even more) The mother of one of the children that had recently left let out a soft, almost unheard, giggle at the magi's words.

"Your child is very gifted, to be able to speak so clearly at the age of four," Esla said with a smile "Through she has a rather unique personality, and even more unique insults," Yunan smiled as he thought of the little girl that he raised with much effort

"You couldn't be even truer," He admitted "But that just means your son has amazing tolerance for children like her, trough I believe he's at his wit's end with all the hair pulling she would do," At that, the two parents laughed in unison. For, truly, they had such outrageous children.

And they will always love them for that.

* * *

**Partevia Empire – Tison Village – Morning **

"Oi, Sinbaka? Cut that hair of yours would you? It's swishing around so much I want to kill it myself,"

"Only if cut your hair, brat,"

"…touché,"

"What does that even mean?"

"If you can't think of a meaning, you're not a man," The larger boy looked down on me with a twitch in his eyes before sighing one more time and continued his focus on the beaten road of his beloved town. I surprised a giggle at this, okay I admit, I'm just teasing him for fun now. If ever we meet again in the future, I may not get the chance to push his buttons like this, so might as well live the life, right?

…Through I suppose that depends on what I'll do in the future.

I broke away from Sinbad for a second to sit down on an empty crate, telling him some excuse like I was bored of walking with him or something, I don't really remember lies that well. I had originally came here to see the event where Sinbad gets forced to a dungeon, but in reality, I just wanted to get away from closed spaces with that guy. Him, adding Nanan, made way too many Rukh flutter around in the house, it gave me a splitting headache just being there.

I wonder if that has something to do with that nightmare Sinbaka said I had…

…

…Nah…

"Hey you're the girl on that weird man's head?"

Hm? I looked up from my thinking position to see a small group of children looking at what appears to be me curiously. I blinked, what? Instinctively, I looked over them to find Sinbaka talking to who I'm guessing are these children's mothers.

"It is!" the girl in the group said excitedly "It is her!" Giving my attention back to the children, I sweat dropped. Great, just great, I'm the center of attention to a bunch of kids again. Not that I hate kids, but when I took the medical course, I didn't plan to be caretaker or a wet nurse in any way, I wanted to be a brain surgeon. The reason for this was because I didn't like handling toddlers in anyway, babies, okay, but the tyrannical four year olds? You don't know how many times I had to chant in my head to just grin and bear it for the grade.

Not that they aren't cute at times, but I just didn't focus on things like that in my life.

"Wow! Look at her eyes! Their red!" they giggled, and I sighed mentally, seems like I have to entertain them for the time being.

"Hey, hey! Your clothes look funny too! Where did you get it!?'

"Miss! Miss! Play with us!"

Waah~ Why do I have to be a kid? I don't even feel the childish tendencies to play. I'm only here for-

"SINBAD!"

_-Now_

Before the kids could react to the frantic cry of a mother, I had already shot up from the crate and paced towards the sound of the cry. By the time the startled kids were brought back to their senses, I was in front of two familiar figures. One was Sinbad, pinned down forcefully by two Partevian Soldiers with Halberds. The other was a boy with moss green hair and gold tinted armor that looked almost like scales to me.

The man who will soon be named "Drakon,"

"_**It's here," "It's come," "The boy's destiny begins now,"**_

_No shit Sherlock_

"Oi! Someone Tell Esla already!" I barked at the frozen adults, seeing one of them thaw out and leave the scene. I frowned, from what I remember from the manga, it was supposed to be the heavily built woman to give the news, not the pale one. _That doesn't matter I suppose _I thought as Drakon began to threaten Sinbad viciously, like a dragon fighting a tiger.

"Let go of big brother!" I gasped when one of the kids that were pestering me before picked up a rock and was making a move to throw it, the others following suit. I didn't need to see the shock on Sin's face that both of us had the same idea about this.

"Stop that!" I said, trying to get it across the kids heads that they _really _don't want to do that "That won't do any good for anyone! Let alone Sinbaka!" I really couldn't care at the moment that they flinched before dropping the rocks reluctantly. Things would have been messy if they actually injured a soldier on duty, let alone someone as high up the ranks as a military commander like Drakon, let alone the fact that he came from the Dragul family. No amount of pleading will stop them from dying this poor village in blood all in the name of their family pride. This is the reason why no one's come near the group yet or helped Sinbad, their afraid of making the wrong move and be the source of the consequences.

Through I was able to see the relief in Sinbad's face for a second; it was short lived before his face was brutally kicked with an iron foot, I winced at the impact of the metal and flesh. How the hell was he able to heal after that in just three days?! The impact looked heavy enough that it should have torn through the Zygomaticus and the Buccinator muscles by now! If it weren't for the fact that this really wasn't the time, I would have grumbled about how strange anime logic is.

"This…what exactly is going on?"

"…?" Nanan!

"Seems like their needy for soldiers," I went up to Nanan as I said this, pausing only to let him pick me up like he always does "But he refused and they got pissed off." I felt the two women in front of us look at me indecorously, as if they couldn't believe someone summed up the current events with such impartiality and detachment. I shrugged at the sight, instead focusing on the scene before us silently.

It's best not to change such a pivotal point in the plot after all.

"Shut up!" One of the guards shouted at the townsfolk with little change "Be quiet!" I frowned at the sheer gall of these people; I suppose being surrounded by potential enemies isn't the best way to calm the nerves. They are trained soldiers after all, even they get jumpy. "What are you all looking at?! Get back to your own work!"

Drakon's eyes scanned the villagers with disinterest, yet it didn't have the apprehension the two soldiers had, possibly because he's used to large crowds or because of his confidence. I paused when I noticed that he took his time to scan the people in our direction, he must have spotted me and Nanan and connected the dots, through it seems like he didn't see us as much of a threat too.

"Hm…This village had nothing but women and children huh?" He said with a casual huff, before turning to the soldiers "There isn't much workforce left that we can use," He said, causing the villagers and Sinbad to stiffen in unease "We should report this to the higher ups," Now it's the travelers' turn to frown it would seem. From what we've seen, when a town lacks or is completely devoid of working men, their Government can do three things about it. One is that they would relocate the remaining villagers and disperse them to the other towns so that they could be of some use then. The Second option is merely to wait from the way to end for the men to return and do nothing about it, should the men not return, the village may slowly be wiped out when no new life is born.

The third…done only in secluded towns that few would notice…

The government will capture the remaining villagers and sell them to the underworld, whether it would be slavery or something much, much worse is anyone's guess…

"…Hey…wait…,"

When everyone was looking at the officer in muted fright, I kept my eyes on the fallen teen, as such; I was the first to see him rise.

"…Just women and children?" The soldiers backed off in surprise as the fallen boy stood up cradling his wounded arm as if it were broken, his glare only intensifying at the sight of the future metal vessel's utter lack of notice of the boy. Beside me and Nanan, the townsfolk began to smile in joy at seeing their boy stand up to them "Not much of a workforce? **…What do you take us for?"**

"…Exactly as I said?" Drakon have an honestly confused expression to the wounded boy "For a country, its citizens are a valuable workforce. Isn't it only natural for everyone to work blood, sweat, and tears for the war?" Nanan sighed, and I hummed. Sinbad may have an idea, but at his standing, he could never see the whole picture. It's true that Partevia's main source of income rest in war, as to the victor goes the spoils. But this is also the very reason why they're still holding in there for so long instead of stopping due to their growing lack of funds. Should they stop, they will lose the moral of those agreeing to war, this moral is the reason why they could live in poverty for so long, they would open their eyes and see the economic damage, a damage the government does not have funds to repair. Soon enough, revolts would come and soldiers would choose sides. It may become an all-out bloody civil war.

Partevia had become an injured spider hanging by just a thread.

_(Does Drakon know that?)_

The man turned to Sinbad.

"You too, should learn what a real workforce is from observing other citizens," he said, "Which means military service!"

"…The real workforce is…military service you say…?"

I watched in amazement as the normal cool headed Sinbad _snapped_

"That's…Not a workforce at all!" I took the second to see the rarity that is a murderous Sinbad as he broke his own dam of resentment "My father was deployed and never came back, along with all the other men in the village! We aren't some tools for this war!" He glared at the still cool-headed official "I…there's no way I'll ever enlist!"

And so the dam broke loose

"That's right!"

"Just what Sin said!"

"We've always felt this way!"

"W-Woah!" I gave a yelp when I almost fell off from Nanan's grasp when people that were silently watching from behind us started to rage closer and closer to the center, had Nanan not tightened his grip on me at the right moment, I would have ended up squashed.

"Are you okay?" Nanan asked

"…Y-Yeah," I muttered before looking back at the scene before us.

"W-what's with them?!" The soldiers huddled to protect Drakon from the mass of killing intent with physical boundaries "The other villages obeyed silently. Why are they putting up such a fight?!" I grinned at their conflicted instincts to either huddle or take down the source of killing intent.

_Truly, no village that houses the First Class Singularity would grow up normal anyways_

Despite all this, the commander smiles

"You can fuss all you want, but you can't escape drafting orders when they come…Right, Sinbad?"

The crowd quieted immediately

Drakon…I suppose he's still called Dragul here, right? "Understand? Partevia requires your services." He looked at the crowd and us travelers "You all should know already, the existence of 'the dungeon'. The country's magicians say there is a power residing there that far surpasses that of human intelligence; it is a power that can greatly influence the direction of the world,"

I saw the crowd began to wilt and fall back as Dragul takes a step towards Sinbad "We must get our hands on that power, no matter what! That is an Imperial order from his majesty!"

I grimaced when I realized what line was going to be uttered next.

"Sinbad…In the end…Your father was deployed after all, right?" A look I could not quite give a name to spread across Sinbad's face, a look of horror and shock, mixed with the cruel realization that it was true all along.

Dragul smirked before turning away from the silenced crowd, meanwhile, I tug on Nanan's sleeves and asked for him to put me down, to which he complied "In the end, that's how it is. You should know this," No one but me and Nanan saw the man as he and his soldiers left the village, for they were in too much shock to move.

I frowned at this once more, walking towards the frozen teen and kicked him gently to get him out of his trance. I took the second to relish the surprised look on his face before going back to default.

"Well? What are you standing around for?! Your skin will scar if you don't heal up already,"

_How curious that he sustains no scars even without medical treatment. _

"Oi! I thought you aren't supposed to kick injured people!"

"'Oi' yourself, if this hurts you, then you're more of a wimp than I realized,"

Had I not been looking with satisfaction on Sinbad's red face and the shocked face of the no longer frozen crowd, I may have noticed the odd silence Nanan wore as he watched us from his spot as the oddly pleased Rukh surrounded him.

_Truly, it's curious_

* * *

"Now I just need to- Hey hold still would you! - wrap up this arm and you're done!"

"I guess I should say- Ow! Now you're just doing it on purpose, aren't you?!- Thank you, so thanks…I guess,"

"You're welcome…and next time? Don't shrill like a girl would you? Anymore and I may start calling you 'Sinbeda'…you know what? I start calling you Sinbeda from now on regardless of what you say,"

"…Sinbeda? Can I ask why? Or will asking hurt my pride?" Sinbad looked at me with a pointed look on his face as I continued wrapping his arm with bandages I summoned from my necklace from the barrel as Sinbad stood in front of me and kept his arm up for me to wrap it. I shrugged in reply.

"I don't know, sounds demeaning enough,"

"…you're a handful, you know that?"

I sneered.

"Ha! Says the guy that wouldn't stop complaining about a kid wrapping bandages on his injuries!" I swear, any more and it looks like Sinbad will start pouting, through it must be my imagination. If he's anything, he's prideful.

"Still," I paused and looked up to Nanan who was leaning against the wall with his wand out "A war, huh? I remember hearing that something like that hasn't happened in a while, so I assumed they gave up,"

"Nah," Sinbad shook his head, a frown marring his face "This country is always at war with the neighboring country, Reim. They took away all the working men and money for the war too," I hummed as I continued wrapping the arm, all the while thinking in my head. This speech doesn't sound much like the one in the manga, parallel differences perhaps? Oh well "But lately, they seem to be gathering people for…_the Dungeon_,"

_Dungeon…to think that the homes of so many unique species got such a degrading name…_

"Ah, the Dungeon is this mysterious tower that appeared in the border between Partevia and Reim," At Nanan's nod and a hum from me, he continued "However…in that Dungeon…Over 10,000 people had challenged it, and not a single one has come back, people started calling it _the hole of death _because of that,"

"Now the military is actually drafting people to be sent to this dungeon of death," I chose to stay silent as I watched his held out arm clench and tighten in frustration as he stared at nowhere in particular, all the while looking utterly murderous and determined.

"But I can't die yet…For my mother's sake, and for the sake of the villagers," I looked at the desperate animal that was Sinbad's turmoil of the situation seep out of the calm demeanor, for once, I could only look at him sadly, though a spark of irritation never left me.

No kid has to go through these kinds of things

And from what I could decipher from Yunan's face, he thought the same somewhat

"There's no way to be relieved of the enlistment?" Yunan said placidly, through a hint of worry reached my ears and I sucked in my breath a bit, because I knew about what will soon happen.

"You saw it right? This is a military nation, if you resist, they'll use force. I'd be sentenced to death if I'm unlucky; the military's orders are absolute,"

This is the deciding moment

"But…this is…wrong,"

Sinbad snapped

"If I enlist, I die. If I resist I still die, the war is never ending too," He clenched his now bandaged arm tighter "This country…**is done for**!" I glanced at Yunan, and Yunan glanced at me, I wanted to sigh when I saw those be yes, the only other time I saw him bear eyes like that was when he found out I could use magic.

This may truly be one of Sinbad's last days in this town

"Are you…alright with how things are…?" Yunan asked, making Sinbad snap up at him with a vicious glare directed to many people but the magi, ripping his arm from my grasp in an almost painful tug.

"**AS IF!"** He shouted, twisting around to look at Yunan as if he said something insulting and outright blasphemous "Unless this war ends and this county changes, _the people will only suffer_!"

I watched the boy as he starts his road to his destiny; eyes dry with anger and frustration. I watched the man I called my parent look at these eyes with a blank expression, only shifting to a frown when the boy said his words.

"But...there's nothing I can do now! _I can't do anything about this_!"

and the magi spoke

"You can do it,"

The frustration lining his every being decapitated instantly, leaving a very confused Sinbad to look at the man who was a magi. I blinked at the amount of Rukh suddenly encircling us three, as if eager to witness one of the many changes in this world.

"If it's you, you can do it,"

Yunan held out his arm to Sinbad, the Rukh encircling it as if it were a priceless treasure.

"However, right now, you lack the power,"

"_**The King's Power to Change the World,"**_

* * *

"The king's power…to change the world?!"

It only took Sinbad five seconds to realize that these travelers he picked up were a bunch of nut jobs that needs more sun in their skin.

"That's right," Yunan said, leaving his spot from the wall to set his daughter, Shirin, down from the barrel. The girl thanked her father (Who doesn't really look anything like her aside from the skin color really) with a huge smile, one that Sinbad really couldn't believe came from the same one that insulted his pride as a man by telling him that he shrieks like a girl just a few minutes ago. It took a while for the boy to process what the older traveler had said to him, but when it finally slinked in, he started laughing.

"Ahahahaha! How did you come up with that?!" Sinbad said, inside though, he felt insulted. He had just told the man and his daughter that he was going to die away from his sick mother and poor villagers for a country that may as well be crumbling because of war, and he's given this?! Sinbad couldn't comprehend this at all "You travelers are really funny, you know that?"

Glancing downwards, he saw the murderous glare that said traveler's daughter was giving him, his smile strained a little, it was practically screaming at him for saying that her father was lying…

"B-Besides, If such a power really exists, the world would be a mess with kings creating kingdoms freely," He said to the blonds man before starting another huff of laughter at the _joke _the man had told him to get his hopes up. Because what that man said was the most absurd story he has ever heard and had no reason to be through.

Yunan only looked at the boy silently, quieting the boy who slowly but surely began to realize that what this traveler was telling him was firmly believed by the said man to be true.

"…And if it's true?" The man said placidly, and to Sinbad's shock, he could not find it within himself to think that what the traveler said to him was untrue. He looked into the eyes of the man and his daughter, half hoping that what he just told him was a joke and that such a power, a power that could be acquired by even a lowly civilian like him, a power that can change the course of wars themselves, a power that created countries and fellowmen, doesn't exist.

And yet no such thing came from their eyes

Sinbad's shoulders slumped

A power that could change the world? A power that he has a chance to obtain?

"If…If that power…if that power _really _exist,"

Sinbad had never once thought of things like becoming a king and ruling a country, he believed himself to be realistic. He had a sick mother and an entire village to help; he certainly had no time to even think that a boy from a dying town can become a king. Sure, he wondered about the world outside the village and had dreamt of exploring that land one day, Shirin and Yunan's explanation of things called _magic tools _only brought more of these dreams. But deep inside he knew that it was only wishful thinking, that he had too many people to take care of here to ever go with the idea of traveling, unlike these two travelers in front of him.

But…if such a power really is there, a power that _he can grasp._

Then…

"I'll take it,"

The words flew out of his mouth, suddenly, the thought of it sounded…right…

"If I can change this world with it, I'll use that power without hesitation!" The words soared higher and stronger than before, carried by resolve and determination that he had thought was gone for good. For once in his life, he felt like he had a chance. Yunan smiled in approval, seeing something only he can see. But to Sinbad's confusion, his daughter had an entirely different face. A frown too pressed to be anything but serious was marring her four-year-old face, as if he had done something she had completely expected, but disappointed her nonetheless.

He doesn't know how to feel about that really.

"Dammit, I knew you'd say that," Shirin grumbled, earning a chuckle and an affectionate pat on the head from her father. Sinbad couldn't help but smile sadly at this sight, it reminded him a little of his time with his own father, through the gesture seemed more inclined to how his mother treated him then.

"Haha, I suppose that he is predictable in that sense," Yunan agreed with his daughter, before turning back to Sinbad, A smile on his face as he pointed to the ocean just within their sights "This power you seek exists, inside the dungeon that is,"

…

…what?

"What? You didn't think they were drafting guys like you just because they wanted to see slaughter did you?" Sinbad winced at the girl's brash words; sometimes he wonders whether she had even a sense of condolence for them. But before he could choose to speak this aloud, she gave him a surprisingly serious stare "The power to change the world is a heavy thing, Sinbaka, it's not something you can just go in and take, why do you think no one's come out?"

...well if she says it like that, it does make sense that a power that of a king's would be protected with something like a dungeon. Sinbad wanted to sigh, in the end, he really did have to go into the tower of death...

"True, the price to gain this power is high, so far, no one has survived the trials in the dungeon," Yunan looked at him "Despite all this, would you still enter the dungeon that killed more than 10,000 men to gain the power within? The power to change the world?"

Sinbad motioned to speak, but when nothing came out of his lips, he only nodded. Yunan smiled at this and pointed to his bandaged arm.

"If that is the case...why do you shiver?"

Sinbad, surprised, look down on his bandaged arm and realized that, indeed, he was shivering. He gulped and stared at his own shivering body, was this...fear? Or joy?

He clenched his fist, and a rather bloodthirsty smile forced its way on his lips.

_No...this is...elation...for mystery!_

Yunan seemed to smile at the sight, while Shirin seems to role her eyes at the sight. Sinbad ignored them "From how you look, I believe you'll be fine," Sinbad blinked when the man that was in front of him seems to float away from them, even his daughter.

"Nanan?" The black haired girl said, confused, and worry seen on her face. Yunan gave a smile to her daughter, who was taking steps forward to catch up to the man who was defiantly flying "Sorry, but could you stay with the boy for a while? There are things Nanan needs to do to prepare, and I might not have the time to stop either,"

Sinbad came forward too, mostly because of shock from seeing a man flying "I'll be at the tower in three days, take care of my daughter till I get her back, would you?" Sinbad gaped when the man leaned on the fencing and fell over, both him and Shirin rushing to him in pure instinct only to find that he's vanished. Sinbad felt his eye twitch, why is it that none of the travelers he meet end up being normal? First a spy, then a foul mouthing four year old, now a disappearing man, are all travelers as diverse as these three?

"Nanan you jerk!" Sinbad jumped a bit at the shrill wail of the kid, finding Shirin beside him with a frustrated expression. Not noticing his stare, she continued "Why the hell are you leaving me with this eggplant of a girly guy?!"

Sinbad twitched. Well their defiantly related from what he could tell, they both lack an equal amount of common sense. "Are you seriously going to insult the guy who's got to feed your mouth for three days?" Said four year old looked at his dispassionately from his left before sighing dramatically.

"You don't have to," she said, patting the red gem on her stringed necklace lightly, Sinbad saw a pout forming "I have enough resources in here to last a few days, I don't eat much anyways." In one quick motion, she pushed herself off the railings and headed back to what Sinbad could tell was the direction of the harbor, all the while muttering darkly, a calculating and confused look in her eyes. Sinbad wanted to sigh; did he really have to take care of this brat? Choosing not to think about it, however, he walked towards the direction of the harbor, making sure that the black blob he was entrusted with didn't stray from their destination.

All the while…thinking of what he could gain and what he could lose.

* * *

_A man once looked at me, holding out a hand and a ring_

_His smile was bright and loving_

_The woman was hesitant to take either though, unsure of how she wanted to live her life_

_"They say 'live your life with no regrets, but that's just impossible,"_

_The man said to her _

_"But to be weary is to become still, and that is the most regretful thing of all,"_

_The woman paused, then laughed softly_

_"But are you worth it?"_

_The man smiled sheepishly, his face red at the sight of the woman slowly going for his right hand, the one holding the ring, and knelt down to place it on her finger._

_"You won't regret it, I promise you,"_

* * *

And so Three days pass

And so their Journey begins

* * *

**It's DONE...Well not really; I did have to cut it…**

**First? I love Gintama, and that last interlude is a reference to that. If you haven't seen it yet…SEE IT, you will not regret it.**

**Here are some clarifications (Not that important, but might as well):**

**Sinbad: As you can see, Shirin has a childish hate of Sinbad. It started when she was still Leia actually, she originally fund him as a decent character, albeit having the 'main character' feel to him. She then realized how sneaky Sinbad really is and started disliking him. This dislike was amplified as Shirin when she realized that the same guy could still happen in Sinbad. More importantly, she hated the fact that the kid she meets would grow up into a potential villain. **

**In the end, she doesn't really 'hate' him per say. She loves teasing him though, she won't get the chance to do it in the future after all.**

**Shirin's Personality: I realized that she can be a very unlikable person if she wanted to. She's rather degrading and petty sometimes, sees it as a type of humor really. And she cusses out loud on purpose to see the people cringe. She doesn't care much of status and was never the type to gawk. She's tidy though, and is polite and kind to the sick and elderly, sometimes kids. Her worst flaw though, is that she is very judgmental, and refuses to see otherwise most of the time. She loves her family, but loves friends a lot less. She's more of a hermit really.**

**IMPORTANT CLARIFICATIONS:**

**Let me clarify something to you concerning pairings (Since people have been talking... and talking... and talking...and... well you get the idea). I've decided that, for now, the story will be purely ****generic****, with maybe a bit of potential pairing here and there, but no more than that. That doesn't mean however that there will never be pairings here. Once the prologue is done, I'll set up a poll concerning the pairings. This is so that you get to see everyone that I have in mind before you make your decision.**

"**Why is it that everyone in the Magi fandom look for pairings anyways?" wait…"OH MY GOD! Could it be that it's because they have no interest in the actual plotline!? NooooooOOOOO!"**

…

…**I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I know you guys and gals came here for the plot, I love you all for that. Really, I do. **

**Sorry if that disappoints anyone, but I didn't really center the plot in romance in the first place, it actually just popped up while I was forming the main plot. I have a few people in mind myself, but as I said, I'll leave it to you guys until the prologue. But you're free to give your favored pairings when you review so that I can limit the nominees.**

**Lastly (AND THE MOST IMPORTANT!) I want your opinion on this. As you could see, it took an unimaginably long time to update this; the reason is partially chapter construction. Originally, I was going to do Baal arc in one chapter, but it proved to have too many things going on to write them. What I want to ask, my beloved readers, is if I should continue trying to put them in one chapter, or give smaller (is 11,000 words small?) but hopefully faster updates, please review your answers and take part in the poll I put up on my account to let me know.**

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I WAS ONLY REMINDED THAT I ONLY HAVE THREE CHAPTERS WHEN I WAS NOTIFIED OF A REVIEW FROM KUUHAKU PARTICLES AND I WAS LIKE : "OH RIGHT! CHAPTER!" SO PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. Stage of Journeys

**Some of you guys may think this was pretty fast of me, but really? You do not know how many times I had to rewrite a certain part of this chapter because of the sheer awkwardness and how OOC they were. You can **_**praise**_** the recent chapters of Magi and Sinbad no Bouken for that.**

…**Yeah…**

**I feel like this is such a filler. But the chapter was derailing and my summer break is ending soon and I know I won't be able to update as much as I want to once uni starts up again, I had to post **_**something **_**or it'll take forever! I had to cut it in the middle and just introduce it on the sixth chapter.**

**While I'm at it, are there any Shingeki no Kyojin** **OC Fanfic readers here? If there are, I would love it if you took a peak at my brother's first fanfic **_**Insert Death Scene Here, **_**a reincarnation OC fanfic. Because it's his first, I help him by beta-reading his fanfics…which escalated to the fanfic becoming co-op…yeah.**

**There is currently three chapters ongoing with my brother doing the fourth chapter – we write in a pattern, he does the fourth, I the fifth, him the sixth, etc. – I would love if you took the time to read and review, maybe even give him a few tips. I would appreciate it, really.**

**Now let's get this ball rolling!**

**DISCLAIMER: I swear upon the awesome and badass name of Gintoki-sama from Gintama that I do not own any of the characters and settings mentioned in this fanfic with the exception of my OC characters! All hail Shinobu Othaka-sama!**

* * *

Destiny's Play

Chapter 5:

Stage of Journeys

.

The Three Days

.

_"Is anyone even there?"_

* * *

**Tison Village - Sinbad's house - Late Afternoon**

I hate that jerk! I hate that jerk _so_ much!

"I Swear to you, Sinbad the sailor, that one day, You will face retribution for the wrongdoings you have done on me!"

"That was a very good speech for someone your age, Shirin, you should be proud of yourself," Amber eyes looked at me in a motherly fashion "But it's not right t plan out the death of a son right in front of his mother,"

"…Shi-! I-I mean, sorry Miss. It's the heat, I swear," I apologized to Esla, who gave me a withering but humor filled smile as she watched me sweep the floor vigorously to control my irritation. Cleaning isn't a thing for me, but I'd rather do something productive than destructive with all my boiling rage for a certain purple haired shitface.

AGGGHH! Just the _thought_ of that guy is irritating!

Seriously! The nerve of that kid! Forcing me to stay indoors by confiscating my only hat! I can't go out under the sun without it dammit! My skin will burn under the heat! I understand that I'm being childish for someone with my mental age, but it's SO DAMN FRUSTRATING!

…Stupid future king

"What right does that reincarnation of a hamster have to put me under lockdown anyways? I'm going to castrate that sword of his before he gets the chance to put it in a scabbard," I grumbled away from Miss Esla's line of hearing. The heat is making me irritated. I'm much too used to the coolness that was the Great Rift and The White Palace in Kou. Through I suppose that's no excuse to shout in the presence of a patient, I really should be better than this. With that in mind, I took a deep breath and continued to clean the house. While it wasn't utterly filthy, it was definitely not as clean as it should be. Sinbad may have done his utmost in taking care of his mother – and I honestly appreciate that side of his – but there's only so much he could do without cutting the amount of work he takes in and getting enough money for medicine. From what I could tell, he would clean sluggishly and haphazardly, as if he was dead set in falling asleep right there and then, but forced himself to finish the job anyways.

Not noticing my current thoughts, Miss Esla began to laugh lightly.

"Haha…Think of it as...punishment for those rumors you spread about him," Esla smiled at me, I smiled back at her wearily. I suppose in a normal point of view, it's was a just decision to be done, but it doesn't stop it from being irritating.

Goddamn you Sinbad, Some of those rumors were a work of _art_

* * *

**Tison Village - Harbor - Early Morning **

…_Yesterday…_

"Big Bro Sin! Big Bro Sin!" Sinbad turned around in time to catch the hyperactive toddler as he ran towards him and talked him with a hug, had Sinbad been any weaker, he would have fallen in the water with his merchandise. But he didn't, so he only had to laugh and flurried the child's hair. The first rays if sunset was beginning to show from the horizons beyond the open sea and Sinbad was happy to say that his day was going quite nicely. Despite the fact that the village can no longer acquire their signature products from the vast blue, there would still be traders and buyers coming and going through this place, and Sinbad was one of the lucky few who was able to empty his stock in one day, turns out that a merchant was beginning his journey away from the town and was stoking up on food when he noticed the fruit Sinbad was selling and bought it all due to it being his favorite. He had proceeded to eat the fruits immediately after buying them; much to Sinbad's fascination, as the technique the man used to eat the juicy fruit prevented any of the actual juice from spilling and ruining his traveler's garb. It vaguely reminded the boy of how the brat would eat.

Speaking of the child, Shirin had actually come with him too, but she quickly wandered off to who knows where without even a goodbye. The last time he had saw her, she was reading a black, worn out notebook and scribbling things in at random times. Sinbad had once tried peeking in on the contents of the notebook, only to find that that it was incomprehensible for the uneducated teen and brought him more headaches than he wished to admit.

Sinbad sighed mentally

He'll have to search for her after he's done with this. With that in mind, he pasted a big smile on his face and greeted the toddler.

"Mornin' Hogun!" He said as he shifted his body slightly to prevent the boy from toppling down his portable stand. Hogun was one of the more rowdy children of the village, getting into situations that left his mother and little sister breathless in fear and exasperation. He was a proud kid that always jumped into conclusions and insisted that he was the right one. Despite that, he has a big heart and an even bigger love for his darling little sister, to the point where Sinbad could easily call it a budding brother complex "What's up?"

"Hey, Hey! Sin, do you like me?" The child asked even as more children encircled him. Sinbad blinked at this odd question. Where did that come from?

"Course I like you, why wouldn't I?" He answered with a smile and a ruffle of the hair, only for the action to waver a bit in confusion when all the kids around him stared to stare at him like a school of dead fish, before cheering loudly. Hogun himself looked like he was just told that his favorite meat was for dinner.

"It was true! I knew it!" Hogun cheered is accomplishment, his little sister, Homi, congratulating him warmly alongside Hogun's other friends. This left Sinbad a little lost, something he's not really used to feeling, but before he could ask, his questions were answered.

Five seconds later, he finds himself regretting even trying to ask.

"Big bro _is_ gay!"

...

...

...

_..."What?"_

"Big bro likes me, a guy, right?" Hogun said proudly, as if he was the smartest child on earth, to which Sinbad had a feeling that he did think so "That makes you gay! I was right!" Sinbad gaped for a second before trying to correct the confused children, because no, he was not gay, or_ bisexual_, or_** anything**_. Sinbad believed himself to be a healthy teenage man that adores the softness of a woman's chest, curves, and bosom. The very thought of having attraction to another male _that _way made him feel rather sick to the stomach. But before he could attest to this, he was once again cut short by another surprising line.

"That rumor _was_ true! She said it wasn't!"

"Rumor? What rumor?" He asked the children horridly. Had someone actually been telling _rumors _about him without him finding out? This was dangerous for his reputation, very few merchants these days would hire people, just think of how worse that would be with that added quirk!

"The one where you were gay-,"

_"I'm not gay!"_

"-That big sis Shirin told to us!"

…

"…what."

The children giggled before pointing their still small fingers to a wedge between two sand stone buildings just beyond his line of sight. There, a small group of people were huddled together facing whoever was attracting their attention. Weary of what he might see, Sinbad slowly left the group to sneak a peek at what was catching their attention. By the time he got close enough to at least hear snippets of what they were talking about; it was already too late to turn back.

"-And Japer answered Sinbaka's call to come to his room because he thought it was work related, only to find Sinbad was-,"

_Solomon_

"-Kyaaa! What a dirty little thing for that boy to do!"

_Oh Solomon, his ears are __**bleeding**_

"-Do you think that our Sinbad is-?"

_**Make it stop**_

"Nah, I told you, didn't I? Their just stories, don't go spreading it around like it's true,"

"**Then why are you making them?!"**

"Hm?" Ruby red eyes spotted silted amber before making a whistling sound, she rubbed the back of her head as she made the perfect expression of someone getting caught in the act "O-Oh! H-Hey Sinbaka! What a lovely day it is, right?" She said with fake pleasantness. Sinbad trudged forward, idly noticing the crowd looking at him with amusement, he even noticed one of the woman surrounding her looked like she was shaking her head ruefully

"I don't suppose you can explain why you're making false rumors about my sexuality of all things?" Sinbad growled at the child, something he hasn't done in a long while, though he wasn't exactly sure if he could call this girl a typical four-year-old either, being that she could speak clearer than even the older kids. Shirin blinked at him before turning towards the tiny group of toddlers that followed Sinbad to watch. Her brows furrowed.

"…Those kids over there said you were gay, didn't they?" She said in a bland tone, her question making Sinbad flinch at the bluntness of her words "I told them it was just a story, it was that Hogun kid right? I think he seriously believes that you're gay," Sinbad saw the women around them stifling giggles while the children openly laughed. If anything, Shirin was the only person aside from himself that wasn't amused, she looked bothered by something actually, looking at him before twitching her brow and sighing like she was confused or aggravated by something.

He should be the one doing that.

"That's because you made them think I'm gay!" He shouted, stomping his foot in a manner that was unlike him. This kid!

"Right, right. Sorry, I'll never do it again, is that what you want me to say?" She said with a preoccupied tone, waving him off distractedly. In the back of his mind, he noticed how often she was doing this habit of hers. On the first day since her father left her with him, the child spent most of the day silently watching him and his mother, only speaking to answer questions and what not. At first he was worried that the child was in some kind of shock with the recent events, but then it wouldn't make sense since she would also look down on Sinbad's waistband and then to his mother and would sigh in frustration. Still, even with this in mind, he could not stop the childish frustration he was getting from just speaking to her.

Oh she's done it now

"THAT'S IT!"

"Wha- owOW_OW__**OW**_! NOT THE HAIR! _**NOTTHEHAIR**__! _FINEFINEFINE I'M SORRY!_ I'M SORRY! JUST STOP!"_

"And this is for throwing that fruit at me two days ago!"

"_GO-SOLOMON!_ Sinbad I said I'm sorry- OI! What are you all just staring around for?! _GET HIM OFF ME_!"

"Hahaha!" One of the villagers laughed; clearly amused by the rare scene of their one and only gentleman ruffling a four year old's hair harshly. At the sound of the laughter coming from his dear villagers, Sinbad blinked and began to remove his hands off the girl's soft black hair, much to the girl's happiness. Had Sinbad been any other person, he would have been beet red by now in embarrassment from his sudden assault. It's been a long time since he's gotten this angry at someone he doesn't really hate, and it's certainly been a much longer time since he acted on this annoyance. But to his surprise, he didn't feel aggravated by this at all…

…in fact, he felt…refreshed? No…not the right word…

"-Ma~ I hate it when people think it's alright to touch my hair, bunny rabbits," Sinbad sweat dropped at Shirin's choice of insult, he supposed that it was good that she wasn't saying bad words in front of the kids. With that, he sighed and shook his head.

"That's it; this is the third time since your dad made me babysit you that you caused trouble for me," Sinbad said with his usual _"you've-done-it-now"_ tone that sent kids crying for forgiveness, through it only caused an eyebrow to raise on the red eyed traveler's face "Were going home, now. And you're not to come with me tomorrow either,"

_That _got her attention

"The He-Hen is that all about?!" She shouted, looking more like the kid she was supposed to be, Sinbad relaxed at this, he could handle kids "You can't tell me what to do! I demand my right for freedom!"

"Well _I _don't need someone to take care of while I'm working! And I can't do that if you ruin my reputation and make customers think I might do something to them!" Without letting the child retort, he lifted her up like a sack under his arm so that she doesn't escape, intending to keep her in the house for the time being.

"L-Let me go! This is sexual harassment!"

"How do you even know that word? Wait, you know what? Don't answer that, I don't need to hear it," Sinbad sighed loudly, leaving the kid to grumble. Honestly, sometimes he wonders just where she gets this personality of hers. It couldn't have been from the father, he was very polite. The mother then? Not that it mattered to him.

"N-Now, Sinbad," Said boy looked up at the women and children, particularly at the one that was right in front of him, she was still calming down from her own fit of laughter "Don't be so harsh on her. We were partially the reason why she started telling those stories in the first place after all. Two days ago, that child over there spotted all of us in one of the larger houses because we were all shaken by the appearance of that officer, especially the children,"

"Hm?" He couldn't help but blink and take a glance at the kid that was grumbling way too much to hear their conversation. What did she mean by being partially at fault? And wait, when this this kid talk to the villagers? Was it after her father left? If there was one thing he was sure about her, it was that she isn't the type to make an effort to get her part of the story out for everyone to hear. Despite what he originally thought about her personality, she actually preferred not speaking at all if she could get away with it due to her numerous thoughts. Sure, she would still answer a question with enough personality to make it seem like she was as social as any other person, but after that? She just isn't the type of person to speak first.

He looked down on his charge – She wasn't listening to their conversation at all – in confusion.

_So why would she-_

"She was probably worried that we might band together and do something drastic, it was on our minds then," She admitted shamefully, leaving Sinbad to look horrified. Had they rebelled, they would have certainly been slaughtered, what were they thinking? But the woman continued, this time with a smile on her face "You should have seen all the different ways she tried to calm us down, we felt like children having a tantrum around her really, it was rather embarrassing,"

Sinbad tried to picture it, the adult raving about starting a riot in front of this little black haired girl and her dead fish eyes and slow drawl, only for said child to cool them down with a few words and probably no few amount of curse words. A smile threatened to tug on his lip. That did look amusing. The woman saw this and laughed softly.

"Right? It was humbling experience to be talked down by a kid, through the same method didn't work well for the ones that were actually kids," The mother smiled, as if reminiscing a nice memory "So instead she told them stories of how great you'll become in the future, how you grow up to be a powerful man who loved to make people happy to placate the children and distract them from the problem at hand," Her eyelids fluttered "It sounded so absurd and realistic at the same time that sometimes, I wonder if such a day happens that you would have such a life,"

_A powerful man who loved to make people happy_

Sinbad smiled slightly and resisted the urge to shake his head in exasperation. Maybe he'll never know what got her to hate him in the first place, but at least he knows that she doesn't really 'hate' him per say.

"…And how did that escalate to spreading rumors about how I'm gay…?" The woman covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, before answering.

"Oh that? It was the children's fault at first. They kept on asking for the Sinbad in the story to do this and that, like marrying one of the village girls and living happily ever after, becoming one of the legendary djinns and granting wealth and luck to all the good little children, to shooting spears from his eyes at the government officials that it was of no wonder that the story ended up becoming all confusing," The woman kept laughing, ignoring the twitch Sinbad made and the frown that resurfaced.

"It didn't help that Shirin obviously didn't like you either and made the most ridiculous of stories, so far you've been a universal womanizer, a universal 'gay freak', and a universal weirdo who can see the future because of tiny white birds that flutter around you. The things children come up with these days,"

…

"…I'm leaving," Sinbad turned around, his bundle still spouting nonsense; he'll have to do something to prevent her from following him though, he looked down on the child's hat and grinned.

That could work

* * *

**Tison Village - Sinbad's house - Late Afternoon**

…_Back to the Present…_

…Okay, maybe I went too far on the gay route, but I do not regret the other rumors! They were priceless dammit!

"I hope this teaches you a valuable lesson though," Esla said with a motherly voice, it reminded me of how my own mother would speak really "Rumors do no good to a person, their all lies that shouldn't be listened to, let alone said," Before I could let nostalgia take over my senses due to the familiar lesson, I gave a chuckle and replied with a smile.

"I guess that's true. But for the record, I wasn't really spreading rumors, it was more of a story telling thing, since I made sure none of them spreads it outside the village," I told her, quietly reminiscing on how long it took to get it through those children's skulls that it was a _bad idea_ to tell it to people that didn't really know Sinbad at a personal level. Through I guess that's just an excuse. Rumors are still rumors after all, and it was childish of me to spread something like that despite knowing how bad then can get. But I was actually hoping that they would be drowned out once Sinbad gains the dijnn from the dungeon.

I'll write it down as a childish impulse.

"Besides," I said with a mischievous grin, nostalgia finally leaving my system "Every rumor has its truth deep within," The mother in the room blinked for a few seconds before letting out a weak laugh. I felt my smile strain a bit at the sight of the woman pushing herself for something as useless as a lively laugh, but chose not to comment and kept my smile intact. It's not like I haven't seen this type of thing before after all.

"My my, are you telling me that my little Sin has a horde of women behind his mother's back and a secret relationship with an nonexistent adviser? What a boy he is," The image of such a thing sent both shivers and laughter coursing through my body, my smile becoming a bit more genuine. But as much as I wanted to bite, I shook my head ruefully. I could tell as many lies as there were people in this world about her son, but it gave me a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach from just the thought of lying to this woman.

It must be because I know of her fate

"No No, not those kinds of truths," I said with a shrug, but seeing as the woman in front of me was staying silent, I reluctantly continued "Their just…guesses?". In all honesty, I just got the basis of the story from the original manga and some fanfics I remembered reading a bit before I died. I actually forgot the fanfics a bit after I was taken in by Yunan, but they just surged back into my mind when I saw that ugly mug of purple from the barrel me and Nanan were in. The thing about the rukh, however, was completely me. It came from a theory I read in a latest discussion board.

…should I regret making them…?

…Hell no

"Guesses?" I mentally cursed the curiosity in her voice, how do I explain to her that I got the ideas from a past life? Me and my big mouth, this is why I'd rather mull in my own thoughts "Can you please explain?"

"…Uh," Real smooth there girlie, real smooth "I-It's just…uhm," How do I explain this without letting her know that I practically know the kid's future? I don't really mind telling her per say _(She's going to die soon, after all) _But I don't want this to bite me in the ass later on. \

Then it came to me

"T-There guesses on his F-Future, yeah!"

_I am so bad at this_

"…Is that so?" She said, looking at me sadly, and the sight deflated by hysteria just a little bit "Does that mean that those stories are what you believe he will turn into in the future?"

Ah…

Shit

I wanted to kick myself then. I suddenly felt like such an ass giving her such a controversial view of his son's future when in fact, she might not even get the chance to see him grow up like that. Hate towards her son aside, this really was no way to talk to a patient.

"N-Not all of them," I said quickly "Those were just the wackier portions of his life that I can tell, he can still grow up to be an awesome guy!" I wanted to curse myself when Esla stayed silent, an obvious sign that she wanted me to go on and tell her what I saw in the kid. Dammit, I dug my own grave here, didn't I? I can't just tell her a lie either, she'd never believe it. Feeling my childish tendencies boil up, I took a deep breath that I really didn't need to take, and let out a loud, theatric sigh.

…_She's gonna die anyways…._

"…H-He might become a great person in the future… Miss Esla," I said to the woman, but couldn't find it within myself to call her anything aside from her name "I-I can tell from H-His eyes. If he really put his mind to it, he can do great things for so many people and more," I felt my head tilt downwards as my gaze went beyond the mesmerized woman and into the far future of the man that is getting closer and closer to his destiny every day "…He can…become a great king,"

Yes, that man can become a great king…

_Because the greatest always has the darkest shadow_

"That…," I looked back at the mother of the boy in question looking lost for a second as she took in what I said, before giving a smile "That sounds like a wonderful future for my boy," I stared at the sad eyes and the strain on her lips, and wondered for a second if there was a story deeper than what I knew behind them. She gestured me closer and I blinked, doing as she said. The moment I got close enough, a frail hand fell lightly on my head, ruffling it softly. Esla smiled at, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to smile back at her.

Perhaps it was because my mother – In both lives – used to do this to me when I was younger.

Or maybe it was because the hand that was ruffling my head was just _so cold_

"But that kind of life has its own kind of hardship, right?" I blinked and looked straight back at the feeble woman, unsure how to respond. Esla kept her hand on my hair in a soft, caring fashion, and once again, I wonder why she was so loving to a complete stranger. "What do you really see?"

I paused, lie or not to lie?

I looked at the dying woman, and suddenly the thought of lying seemed disgusting to me.

I had never once lied to a patient after all, even if the news was bad. Because lying is just so much more painful for me than the truth.

I told her, deciding not to beat around the bush any longer, there's no use in not telling her. It wouldn't do well for my conscience. I dug my own grave by telling her in the first place anyways.

"The great things he can do? They are so easily laced with deception" I said, resigned to the fact that I'd never live it down if I told her some other lie "He can become someone who isn't below outright using others for the sake of others," I thought back to the future in the manga, the singularity that stood alone despite the people around him wishing to support him, and felt a snarl from the back of my tiny throat "And for all the friends he will gain, none of them would stop his decline to depravity, because all of them would just needlessly follow him with the loyalty that would send them all to a bitter end,"

…that's what I hate about him the most. He can become a great king, he _was a great king. _

But where did all that go to in the end?

Isn't that just frustrating?

Isn't that just sad?

Would this boy of humble beginnings…really fall into such a future…?

It's so…sickening…

I felt the hand from before disappear from its position, I grimaced. For a second, I felt like I said something wrong and actually hurt her feelings. But before I could voice out an apology, the hand that was once resting on my head caressed my cheek. Red eyes looked up to amber once more and the woman smiled.

"…I see…If that is the case…could you make sure he doesn't fall so deep…?"

…what?

I looked up at the woman, my broom long forgotten on the neatly cleaned floor. I blinked once, then twice, looking at the woman as if she were whispering to the wind itself. It took a while for the words to seep in for some reason, and even when they did click, I found that couldn't reply properly "What did…huh…?"

"...I know that Sin keeps a lot of his emotions inside to be the mature adult everyone sees him as, and I know you saw that in him," Esla looked at me with a smile "You're trying to remind him that he's just a kid, right? All those insults and jabs were all just playful teasing kids his age would do. But there's no one in the village anymore for Sinbad to do that with, so he ended up imitating adults who had already went past that time in their life,"

"…"

"The war changed everyone, including Sin…He grew up so fast, too fast, I'm afraid that the day might come that the burdens Sin carries would be too much for him, and he wouldn't know who to ask for help," She looked at me with wistful eyes "Even Badr, my husband, grew up normally despite being in the middle of a war. He knew who to go to when he needed to cry for a bit without anyone judging, Sin… he never had someone like that, he was always the shoulder to cry on, the tree of the village. I myself never saw Sin cry since that day when my husband was sent away,"

"…"

"Then you and your father comes in and suddenly, Sin looks like an actual fourteen year old, just by being by his side," A surge of strength I didn't know she possessed caused a smile so bright and knowing to show in her face as the hand that cupped my cheek went down to my own hands, only then did I realize how small my hands were compared to this woman's "Could you…continue doing so…? Even when I'm gone, even if you're a traveler…could you stay with him…?"

_If something ever happens to Sin…I want you to be the one to guide him, please_

"…I-I'm sorry…B-But you're thinking about things way too deeply, Miss," I said with a stutter, and the hand that was on mine went back to its owner's lap

"…Your right, I'm just worried, that's all," The energy she mustered vanished, leaving behind the weary woman on the doorstep of death, looking at me sadly. I felt a familiar chill of nostalgia looking in her eyes and I bit my lip, where did this come from? What's with this woman anyways? First she asks Nanan to guide him, now she asks his daughter to be by his side? Why is this happening? Why is she asking complete strangers to take care of her son before she dies?

_Why did she have to die?_

I wanted to shake my head then to remove that inevitable thought. There's nothing I can do for her, her illness has become much too severe and her body much too weak. Even if I try to cure her now, it's useless. And that's just if I want to heal her. Should she live, there would be a possibility that Sinbaka would stay in the village, probably out of guilt for leaving his mother alone for three months. If the singularity stays, there's no telling how much of the plot would collapse upon themselves. It would be a total wreck, and it would be all my fault.

_I don't want such a burden on me_

I'm a coward, I want to change things, but I'm too scared that the consequences would fall down on me. I'm indecisive, doing nothing despite saying I want to change things. That's why Judar was kidnapped, that's why everyone died. Its proof of how useless I really am, change the future? What a joke, I could never be a strong enough person to see things through, I can't even save _myself_. The world could fall with all my meddling, and I don't want that.

I'm just me; I don't have what it takes to move the world and bear the burden of doing so…

"_I'm sorry…but all I could do is talk…,"_

I looked at the solemn eyes of the dying mother, and felt a twitch. She must feel really desperate right now, asking a four year old who doesn't even like his son to be by his side and her father to guide him, not knowing just how much she's asking from them. She really isn't just a character I can feel sad over anymore, she's a real, desperate woman who feels the guilt of being the chain that drags her son down and just wants to guide him to the path that would make him the person he wanted to be. Just what does she see in us that made her ask these things? Is it really just the will of the rukh? I may never know really, it's too late to save her anyways. I'm such a horrible person.

_I could never keep my promises anyways_

"…Sorry," I finally said, looking up "But I don't think I could keep that promise," I looked at the woman with an equaled gaze, hoping that my words didn't affect her badly.

Right, because promises are more special than that, that's what I always told my little brother. When a one makes a promise... he's holding his own self in his own hands, just like holding water. And if he opens his fingers...there is no hope to reclaim that piece of you that you let go.

That's why…I could never make a promise…and I could never fulfill them…

"_Lei! Do you think we can go to the states for Christmas?! I want to see the snow!"_

"_Hm? Sure, why not? We'll have to drag our dear sister out of her work bench first though, but I'm sure we could do it,"_

"_Yes! Yes! Yes! Promise?!"_

"_Promise,"_

…Promise…

Breaking my trail of degrading thoughts was a soft sigh and an even softer huff of laughter, Esla looked back at me with no fault, no hatred for refusing the oath of a dying mother, and just shook her head ruefully and brought her hand back on top of my head. It was such a powerful moment that I had to hold back the wetness that wanted to escape my eyes.

Isn't she mad?

Why isn't she angry?

I just refused to help her son. Even when I knew the things he would do, I refused to help him.

So why isn't she angry?

Please get angry, please.

_Because I'm angry at myself for always blaming my cowardice_

"I suppose your right, we don't know the future after all, you don't have to look so sad," She patted my head softly and smiled, easing me if only a little "I wasn't expecting such a smart girl to agree to such a long term promise after all. It's a given, really, because your still a little girl, and little girls shouldn't be chained down to people who aren't family just yet,"

I smiled, before a scoff escaped my lips, my eyes dry just like before.

"H-Ha, Little girls d-don't spread rumors about a guy's s-sexuality and sanity ma'am," I said between hiccups. This time Esla scoffed. With a smile on her face, as if all the emotional things that happened just a few minutes ago were just a dream "Little girls don't speak like adults either, but I suppose the world is big enough for a little girl like that,"

We stared at each other for a second more before laughing softly together, the heat of the day completely forgotten

Sinbad is one lucky man, to have a mother as understanding as her by his side. In a way, this person may as well be my first mother figure since the slaughter of my village.

If only…it could last longer

* * *

**Tison Village - Sinbad's house – Evening**

If only he could go fishing again…

Sometimes Sinbad really wishes he could go fishing; fish had always been easier to sell for some reason. Juggling the small pouch he earned in one hand, he wondered just how much a piece of fish would account for after losing all their boats and equipment. This town was known for their fish after all, not their fruit. Catching the pouch with the same hand that threw it, he continued walking towards his home.

Today was uneventful, he supposed, but it was certainly quiet compared to the days he spent with that child. He lifted his other hand, which held the girl's oddly shaped and colored hat, it looked rather similar to her father's, just minus the feather ornament. Hopefully she wasn't too pissed off by him stealing it before she woke up; he could use some peace and quiet in his life.

_I should apologize though, just in case _He though as he walked towards the familiar building and familiar doorway, only to pause at the sound of an energized conversation.

"-And the beasts were like "RAAAWR!" and they jumped at our seats and Nanan was all like – hm? Oh! It's Sinbeda! Hi Sinbeda! You look more like a girl than before, did you get your hair done?"

…nope, never mind the apology, his pride won't allow it

"If you're gonna keep calling me that, I'm selling this hat of yours," He said, forcing a disturbed look to creep onto Shirin's face, like she was appalled that he would stoop so low. It kinda made him a bit guilty, only a bit.

"…fine, just give me the hat already!" He could have pushed further, but decided to just leave it with that and threw the hat to her direction. Shirin caught it with some trouble due to her short arms, but got it in the end before it reached the ground. She happily put it on before glaring at him with a murderous expression.

"Don't think I'll forgive you, bastard Sinbaka, I will castrate you one day, and just you wait," She snarled "That day is fast approaching!" Sinbad just nodded, ignoring the girl's threats and greeted his mother warmly, to which she replied with a smile.

She looked so worn out.

"Ah, this is for you," He said as he gently handed her the pouch, she opened it curiously, and from the back of his sight, he saw Shirin pause, looking at the pouch of money with an odd expression.

"What's this?" she asked, holding the coin with her frail fingers, Sinbad smiled warmly at his mother "It's what I earned today. I did a great job, so the captain gave me more than usual. This should be enough for medicine,"

_For how long though…?_

He thoughts were broken by the sound of small padded feet walking towards the exit, turning around, he sees Shirin with her hands behind her head just about to leave. He could have called out to her, but his mother had beaten him to it.

"Shirin? Where are you going? It's too late to go outside now," His mother asked, Shirin made a jerking motion before turning towards his mother with a grin of her own.

"I'm just going to the coastal! I need some fresh air," She told his mother with a smile, only to lock eyes with Sinbad for a second with eyes too sharp to be that of a normal four year old. Sinbad's eyes widened momentarily before schooling his features once again.

She was lying, he could tell…but why is she…?

"I'll be back soon! Don't wait for me for dinner please!" She said before fully exiting the house and leaving Sinbad's eye of sight. Sinbad rubbed the back of his head in exasperation. He'll have to pick her up again…

"Seriously, I feel like that kid's lifetime goal is to make me feel exhausted with her antics," He said lightly, turning to his mother with a strained smile as he swam through his own thoughts. Today was last day, tomorrow would be the day he would reunite with Shirin's father and, supposedly, enter the deathtrap known as the dungeon. Aside from Shirin, he made sure that no one knew of his in fear that they would react harshly, from what the woman told him yesterday, they took the commander's appearance rather badly, just thinking of what they'd do to him if they found out made Sinbad shiver

"That child certainly is lively, isn't she?" Mother said with her fingers fiddling the lone coin she picked out, before looking up at him with a thin smile "Now, you seem like you want to tell me something, what is it, Sin?"

Sinbad turned sharply towards the direction of his mother, only to lessen the tension on his shoulders with a rueful shake of his head. Of course she saw though it, it was his mother after all. But as he opened his mouth to tell her of his plans, he paused, unsettled by a sudden thought.

Going on an exploration was nice and all…but what would happen to his mother?

"_I'm counting on you to look after your mother,"_

There's no way he could go on an adventure with his mother so ill! What was he thinking?! Didn't his father ask him to take care of her?!

His chest began to ache terribly though, and he had a feeling it wasn't because he wanted to stay home with his mother.

"Sin?"

No, there's no way he could do that to her, there's no way.

"…I just wanted to tell you that were having your favorite soup tonight," He said with a smile, his heart still aching, his mother only looked at him as he turned around once more to take a pot out from their shelf "I was able to get mushrooms from a merchant yesterday, their hard to get, aren't they? Their your favorite mushrooms too. Why don't I-,"

"Sinbad," Sinbad felt a jolt at the sound of his full name being uttered "Come here," He gulped for a second, before turning around once more, only to hold in a gasp.

In her arms was a sheathed sword, still looking brand new despite how old he knew it was.

"Please…bring this with you," She said in a hoarse but resolute voice. Sinbad gaped for a second, finding that he was suddenly unable to speak for a few seconds more, before finding the words to say in a unsteady voice.

"This…isn't this the memento sword from father?!" He cried out, looking at her mother in disbelief "Why all of a sudden?!"

Sinbad's mother smiled at him once more, wistful and weak and resolute all in the same time "…Because, it's time to give it to you," Sinbad stood there, perplexed by the whole situation, he could not fully grasp the situation anymore. But just before he could ask, he was once again cut off by one line

"Sin…You can stop being considerate of me,"

Sinbad felt like he was just doused with cold water

"It's true that I'm very sick. I've been a burden to you, and have worried you with medical expenses every day," she admitted, still holding on to his father's sword. Sinbad wanted to scream at this, even as his tongue stayed frozen at the sight of his father's sword and his mother's words. Because **No**, his mother was not a burden, she had never been a burden to him! He loved taking care of his mother; he loved taking care of everyone! They were never a burden to him! But his mother only smiled warmly at him, as if she knew what he was thinking.

"But, please do what you should do,"

Sinbad stared back into his mother's warm and lively eyes, and was reminded of the eyes of the same woman before the death of his father. How long has it been since her eyes contained so much hope?

"_No,"_

Sinbad wanted to scream

"You have something only you can accomplish, right? So, please, accomplish it!"

"_Wait,"_

Sinbad wanted to shout

"I'll be fine now, I have all the people around us helping me," She smiled once last time "So have a safe trip,"

"_Is this really happening?!"_

Sinbad wanted to cry

But for all these thoughts that ran through his head – from the traitorous glee in his heart, to the dreadful weight of his father's own sword – he could not utter any of these. What came out of his mouth was far cry to what he wanted to say.

It was the only thing he could say

"Thank you…mother,"

* * *

**Tison Village - Coastal – Evening**

As much as I'd love to see another scene that came straight out of a manga, I feel like I shouldn't be there for their mother-son time.

It'd be too awkward really, and I ain't really good with awkward stuff. Just look at what happened just a few hours ago.

I kicked the water lightly with my bare foot; I had taken them off as to not get them wet. It's been three days already since Nanan told Sinbad about the power he may gain from the dungeon and left to who knows where and Sinbad has yet to say anything to his mom. In the manga, I was under the impression that Esla gave Sinbad the sword on the night of Nanan's disappearance, since she mentioned how neither him nor Nanan came back. Acting on this, I decided to give the guy a little space to talk with his mother privately by strolling around the town. How that ended up with me coaxing the adult villagers not to riot and telling ridiculous stories to the kids of the village so that they wouldn't be afraid for Sinbad was anyone's guess.

It was fun while it lasted, I admit. I hadn't talked so much in years if you also count in my past life.

So imagine my confusion and irritation when I found no sword on Sinbad's waist after I came back to the house and Esla still blissfully unaware of where his son may be going to.

Gah, what the hell did I go out for then?!

I suppose it was a tough decision to begin with, to leave behind everyone you care about to willingly enter a deathtrap that you're not quite sure you'll survive through all for a power he can live without. But I can see it in his eyes, he wants to go there, he wants the power to change the world, and he'll stop at nothing to achieve his goal in life.

And he's doing nothing about this? I had actually thought he would ask me about the dungeon too, but he made absolutely no move to do so, as if Nanan's conversation with him never happened!

Is he trying to forget the whole thing entirely? Or does he just want to decide for himself?

"He'd better be talking to her right now, or so help me, I'm gonna blurt it out to Esla right in front of him," I muttered before looking up at the starry sky, the constellations are surprisingly similar to the ones in my past life, albeit in different hemispheres. And for some insane reason, the moon always seems to be vertically shadowed everywhere we go in any parts of the world, which really doesn't make sense to me since there should be _some _areas in the world where the half moon was horizontal instead of vertical, I know that since my past life's home country had a horizontal view of the moon. But I suppose I don't need to dawdle on that yet, maybe one day though.

Like, say, when Nanan picks me up

I kept my gaze at the vertical crescent moon, blowing my hair strands once and a while to keep them from masking my view. It's still a mystery to me as to what Nanan was thinking when he left with Sinbaka. Ever since we got to this town, Nanan's been acting strangely, as if perplexed by something, But I honestly just thought it was related to Sinbad being too close to an ideal king. What if his strange behavior had something to do with leaving me temporarily to that shit of a guy?

I want to understand what's in head…

I sighed, Nanan, just what are you up to this time?

"So this is where you are,"

I blinked when a boy's voice got to my hearing range and turned around, finding the future king standing a bit behind me, his arms crossed and his eyes shadowed by his purple locks. On his waist was the hilt of a sheathed blade

I blinked again, finally.

"So I'm guessing you finally told that mother of yours that you're going into a dungeon? Or did you leave that bit behind?" I asked the boy placidly, who didn't so much as twitch from my purposely insensitive remark. I frowned, I'm not happy that he didn't take the bait.

"Did you tell her? Did you tell my mother about my trip?" Sinbad said slowly, and I paused at the silent hiss at the last part. I looked back at his amber eyes, and, with all seriousness, spoke my answer.

"Nope," I said, and Sinbad bristled

"Then why did she look like she knew?!" He asked. Instead of answering, however, I stood up and matted my clothes, All the while thinking of an excuse.

Thinking of nothing, I just winged it.

"You honestly don't think you can hide that gleam in your eyes, right? And from your own mother too?" Sinbad was taken aback from my statement, his hand delicately moving to his own eyes. I smirked inwardly, good old anime logic makes corny lines seem truthful and momentous, although it is true that his body is literally screaming for adventure. "Your own body told it to your mother, Sinbaka, it's screaming for an adventure,"

"…So you really didn't tell her?" He asked, the tense shoulder of a boy much too young to be much too old slackened "…I see, I apologize for accusing you,"

I couldn't stop the grin appearing on my face "You've been really tense lately, you know that? I almost thought you'd sprain yourself with all the tensing you've been doing in the week!" It's true though; the decision must have given him much more turmoil than the manga showed "Just think! The great Sinbad! Bedridden and unable to enter the game of kings because he sprained his ankle!"

"S-Shut it!" Ooh! Is that red I'm seeing on his cheeks? I laughed for a moment before quickly sobering.

"Yeah, yeah. So, are you going to the dungeon?" I asked, changing the subject into something important to him. Sinbad glared at me and huffed, obviously seeing through my plan to change the subject. I was never good at making subtle plans in conversation.

"…yeah, I take it you're coming with me then?"

"Only to the entrance to meet up with Nanan," I answered "I don't want to die myself, plus I'm not really aiming for such a power controlled by kings," Sinbad looked at me for a second before holding back what appeared to be a sigh of relief. I giggled at the sheer exasperation in his voice, or was it a cackle? I think of the weirdest things these days. Had he really thought I was going into that dungeon?

"Speaking of you dad," He started, and I lessened by cackling to hear his voice "Why did he leave you here with me anyways?" I gave a nod at the question; he's finally asking the right questions. A part of me wanted to ask him why he didn't ask three days ago, but decided not to. He was probably preoccupied by his own thoughts on the matter.

"Honestly? I have no idea," I said truthfully, looking back at the ocean and the moon and the starts surrounding them "This kind of thing happens a lot to me actually, he'd go off to who knows where and depending on how long he'll be gone he'd either let me stay in the house or get someone to babysit me. But this is the first time he willingly let a stranger take care of me," During our time in the great rift, Nanan would suddenly say that he needed to go somewhere and transport me to one of the villages of Toran, his travels never really accounted for more than a week too. And when we started traveling together, no such occurrence happened in the span of time. In fact, my time in the Kou Empire was probably the only time me and Nanan were separated for an extended period of time during our travels.

Could it be that he's preparing for something? Maybe, maybe not…

"Doesn't that get tiring?" I paused from my line of thoughts at Sinbad's words, looking up and seeing that he too was looking at the coastal "Being thrown around like that while he does his own things? Why couldn't he just bring you with him? How do you even know that he'll even come back for you?" I felt a twitch of exhaustion and was ready to turn my head away from the conversation when I stopped and thought it through.

Badr, Sinbad's father, was more of a stay home father and fisherman than anything, being that he couldn't really travel far enough to go anywhere farther than the harbor in his condition. With that, it's safe to say that the times when his father actually goes off somewhere where Sinbad can't reach was rather few. Badr's sentence to war was probably the first time they were ever separated for a long period of time, and Sinbad obviously hated it. There's also the factor of the village he lives in. Poor villages these days rarely have enough food and drinks for a villager to start a journey, and those who find a source of income rarely wish to leave. As such, they became rather close knit when they start helping each other and become attached to the people and the land. Basically, the idea of leaving your love ones to start a journey doesn't really occur that often in these kinds of towns.

So I guess the idea of Nanan, my own father, leaving me constantly to go to who knows where is shocking for the teen.

I shook my head with a smile

The brat was worried about me

"It's true that I get frustrated at times when Nanan just ups and leaves for the whole day only to come back the next day," I said, feeling a bit wistful at the times when Yunan would disappear until night and I would fall asleep on the table only to find myself under the cover of our bed with Nanan right beside me "But never once did I think that he didn't care about me,"

Even with whatever hidden agenda he had under his sleeves, I could never believe for my entire life that he would hate me.

Because he raised me, he loved me, he called me _family_

"Nanan will always come back for me,"

Because I will never stop believing that he will come back for me.

And that's that.

"S-So you'd better not say anything rude about him or I'm gonna punch you!" Sinbad laughed at my ending statement, giving a soft snickering promise of _"Okay, Okay, I won't say anything rude," _before I was satisfied. I gave a huff, that was one awkward speech I gave him, what's with this family and forcing me to say my feeling of the matter?!

Speaking of which…

"Whatcha doing here anyways? Did Esla send you?" I asked Sinbad as I came to his side, he nodded his head "Yeah actually, she was worried since you've been out here for a while now and you might get a cold,"

"I suppose…," I trailed off, now that I think about, the wind and water is getting really cold right about now. Just as I thought that, Sinbad squatted in front of me, starting me backwards.

"Well? Hop on," Sinbad said, and I felt a twitch once more

"I can walk on my own dammit," I growled

"Can you see yourself at the moment kid? You look like you want to take a nap here right now," I was going to retort harshly when I felt a yawn threatening to escape me. Huh, guess he's right. I shouldn't have used so much energy on sweeping the house even though I was only four at the moment.

Pretty stupid of me, I know.

"C'mon now, I promise it won't hurt your pride or anything," Sinbad said with a smile and I only growled at him, complying in the end. I really was too sleepy to do anything.

"Don't kick, okay? Or else your walking," I heard Sinbad say as he walked with me in tow, feeling the only source of warmth in this cold night, I felt my eyelids drop. Idly, I felt like I heard the rukh singing a lullaby to me, but I was too sleepy to give it mind.

Just this once, I'll keep quiet…I'm too sleepy

"…_good night…,"_ I heard a voice in the back of my memories. It did not sound like Sinbad nor did it sound like the Rukh, but calmed me nonetheless

What a nice voice

* * *

**Border of Reim and Partevia – Dungeon – Morning**

"So these are all _'the loyal soldiers of Partevia'_? They don't look all that thrilled to go in though,"

"Of course they wouldn't, they have lives of their own. They just can't say no,"

Shirin hummed as she sat in a crouched position, looking down on the hundreds of weary men that were supposed to be soldiers as Sinbad looked up at the mysterious tower that he will soon be entering, trepidation and exhilaration coursing through his body at the sight of the building that had been the death of many. He honestly thought of stalling for time at first, maybe talk to the villagers and sell a few things, but Shirin wouldn't take it. She had accused him of running away and procrastinating and had firmly told him that it was not a good idea to let the soldiers be there first if he didn't want to end up enlisted anyways.

He really wanted to hate that slow drawl of hers

"Hm? Oh, it's Dra- The green haired kid," A child's voice spoke with interest lining her words. Sinbad looked back and found Shirin sitting up and looking at the recently entered commander. Following her gaze, he found himself rubbing his bandaged arm. Sinbad left his spot in front of dungeon and joined the kid in watching the green haired boy walk towards the two soldiers in charge of enlisting.

"This is everyone?" The green haired male seemed to mutter and, with a louder voice, spoke to the two soldiers who were with him when they were detaining Sinbad. Said boy felt an itch at the sight of the three "Is everyone accounted for?"

One of the two soldiers, the one with freckles, shook his head and took out the tablets with the names of the chosen soldiers "Not everyone sir. One person didn't answer their summons," the other soldier, the one with hair covering his right eye, scooted closer to the other soldier to look at the list himself.

"It's that Sinbad from Tison village it seems," He said with a casual tone, his back hunched almost lethargically. Surprisingly, this lack of proper posture did not bother the commander the slightest. He seemed more irritated by the news given to him.

"Sinbad?" Sinbad snorted when he saw the twitch the boy made, easily showing his dislike for the boy "That rebellious brat, huh…?" Beside him, Shirin snickered; she obviously liked the insult the boy beside her was given. At this, he gave a light punch on the head, to which she rectified with a not at all light kick on the knee.

Kid has a mean right knee

The green haired commander gave a huff and crossed his arms disapprovingly, Sinbad wanted to snort at this very much "Figures, I shouldn't have left him to his own devices. Dammit, that brat is always causing trouble," This time he couldn't hold in the bristle from the sheer gall that boy had, he talked as if Sinbad himself was a rebellious teen, which he _wasn't. _

He is _not _going to be talked down by some high classed pompous bastard that looks like his age!

"Brat?!"

Beside him, Shirin groaned

Standing up from his hiding place, he glared down on the thousands of unwilling soldiers and the people that were forcing them to their death, In particular, the green haired brat "You're the brat! I'm right here!"

"Dammit Sinbaka!" The kid beside him cursed, getting up from her spot and quickly leaving the view of the soldiers before they could spot her by getting behind him. Even though she was behind him, however, Sinbad swore he felt her glare piercing through him "What's the use of hiding in the first place if your just gonna act like a drama king?! _Baka Sinbaka_!"

Even he could tell that the last bit was supposed to be an insult. Sinbad ignored her for now, opting to stare down on the shocked faces of the commander and his so called glorious army.

They looked like scapegoats to him.

"Listen well, soldiers of Partevia! I'm the one who will be getting this dungeon's power!" He shouted for all to hear, idly, he noticed that Shirin ears covering her ears tightly with her hat "I'm not about to hand it over to you!"

Because those who only care for power, those who destroy for power, and those who do nothing but make this country suffer for such power, were never worthy for the power of the kings to begin with.

_But those that make me worthy…?_

"Ridiculous!" The commander was no longer stunned by his sudden appearance, instead he was furious. Sinbad looked at the man for one more second before turning away, bringing the little girl with him in a flurry of motion.

And there, in front of them, at the bottom of the stairway leading to the threat to life and limb known as the dungeon, was the mysterious traveler and father of the girl by his side.

"Nanan!" The girl squealed – (She _squealed_. really, was this really the same kid that spouted curses at him nonstop on their boat ride to the dungeon? Why can't she just stay like this?) – And hurled herself to her father, who caught her with little trouble despite the obvious lack of actual muscles. Sinbad smiled at this sign of affection, their relationship may not be similar to how his own father raised him but it was evident that they genuinely cared for one another.

"Why did you do that anyways?" Yunan asked after he looked up from his daughter and looked straight at him. But before Sinbad could give and explanation, that it was because he wanted to return the low blow from the other day, the traveler's daughter spoke up for him.

"It's because he's too much of a prideful pain in the ass to let the fact that the green haired guy was a bitch to him go without being a bitch himself," A bonking sound was heard and Sinbad found the sound came from the first planted lightly on the four year old's head just like what he did to her just a few seconds ago, but instead of debunking, she just rubbed her head sullenly. Sinbad sighed at this.

He doesn't want to admit that she was right on the spot though…

Putting down his daughter, Yunan walked towards the glowing entrance of the dungeon and walked up the steps, gesturing for him and Shirin to follow. Sinbad saw the briefest hint of confusion from the daughter before giving a shrug and following her father up the stairs with Sinbad by her side. When they reached the top of the stair case, the traveler gestured at the entrance right next to them.

"This is it, Sinbad," Yunan said "That's the dungeon's entrance: The Sacred Gate," He looked back to Sinbad and his daughter and smiled "Once you enter, there will be no turning back until you've captured the dungeon," The traveler smiled

"Despite all this…are you ready?"

Sinbad gripped his sword

"Yeah," He said, with the sword of his father sheathed in his trembling hands, he could barely control himself anymore "I've already made up my mind. I'll gain this power and come back…definitely!" A surge of strength seeped into his body as he grinned in determination. It was as if the very sword he was holding was giving him this strength.

"…I have little doubt of that, that is why…," Yunan paused, and Sinbad found himself blinking at the almost hesitant and reluctant look in his face. He looked back at his charge, wanting to ask her if this was normal, only to pause again at the sheer confusion written on her face. It was evident that this was not a normal for him at all.

"Nanan? What's up?" Shirin asked, clearly worried. Yunan sighed and his smile came back up, as if the hesitant look on his face was merely an illusion. But judging from the way he looked at both of them and the dungeon at the same time, it was far from an illusion.

And so Yunan spoke

"…That is why…I would like you to continue taking care of my daughter until further notice,"

"…what?" Sinbad blinked, Shirin blinked, and Yunan just smiled.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Sinbad cringed at the volume Shirin reached, but he couldn't bring himself to argue about it now, since he also very much wanted to scream like that at the green clothed fellow. In fact, he wanted to argue right now.

"I can't take care of your daughter!" Not just because she's driving him nuts already and he was secretly praying for the day they would part or anything "I'm going into a dungeon! Do you want your daughter to-!"

"HALT! Not one step further!" Shirin swore and Sinbad didn't need to turn around to see that their advantage of being closer to the dungeon was slowly dwindling. Sinbad readied his father's sword, only to be halted by an arm pulling him backwards, towards the dungeon.

"There is no time for explanation," Yunan said in an unsettlingly calm tone, from the back of his eye, he saw that Shirin was still very confused on Yunan's other hand, blinking and gaping as if she was not expecting this. Ignoring this sign of misconception, Yunan turned to him, and, with a smile that Sinbad felt had _something else _hidden under it, he looked at Sinbad dead set on the eyes "But I trust that you will protect my daughter from getting injured inside the dungeon, or I will be very disappointed in you,"

The Traveler gave a sad smile

"I will come back for her, I promise,"

Sinbad wanted to shout, but with a single push, he found himself hurling towards the glowing abyss known as the sacred gate with Shirin in tow.

Just before he was completely engulfed, however, he swore he heard the man speak to himself, an uncharacteristically gloomy look on his face

"…Unfortunately, this would be the safest place she could be at the moment,"

And everything turned white

* * *

.

**Omake:**

**Where are you?**

.

"_Hey, where are you?"_

"_Hey, where are you?"_

"_Lei, where are you?"_

_._

* * *

They said his sister died

They looked down at him. Him, who sat beside the white (White, Leia didn't like white. She said it dirtied easily, she preferred black. But she couldn't wear black in the funeral so she's not here–) coffin holding the doll inside. He couldn't understand why they looked at him like that, he couldn't understand why they were referring to the doll in the casket as his sister because there was no way it was his sister inside the thing and they should get their facts straight and Marcus just couldn't understand.

They said his sister died

(Why would they say something so cruel? Why didn't his father punch the man for saying such a lie? Why is his mother crying? Is it because the men were lying?)

He took a peep at the doll inside the coffin, it looked beautiful and peaceful and looked a lot like Leia but it wasn't Leia because Leia was gone and she won't be coming back and he wasn't stupid and he was in high school and Leia would just scold him for being such a pansy. A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up to find the face of his other older sister, she looked sad.

It's been so long since he'd seen his sister's face. She rarely came home and had almost completely separated herself from her family and Leia had to bring her back because she knew that their older sister didn't mean to separate herself and Leia just wanted to bring back their older sister because they loved their older sister because she was awesome but she wasn't the sister who drove him to school and helped him in his homework and cheered for him when he was in a basketball competition and no one else showed up but her.

But he didn't like it when his older sister was sad either. Leia wouldn't like that.

More people arrived, people Marcus didn't know, people who looked like they would rather be somewhere else, people who looked like they were there only out of obligation. His sister growled at this people and even Marcus found himself angered by this but why was he angered? They were only here for the doll in the casket.

They weren't here for his sister

They were never here for her

What they came here for was a doll in a casket, one that would never smile, never laugh, never let you curl under her blankets when you were a child again. Whoever this doll once was is gone, leaving only a doll to dress and bury.

Only a doll

* * *

"_Hey, where are you?" _

"_Hey, where are you?"_

"_Their saying mean things about you,"_

"_Their saying you're dead,"_

"_Aren't you going to get mad?"_

"_Hey, where are you?"_

* * *

The pastor spoke, expressing his condolence

Marcus wanted to scream

What was that man talking about? Who was this man talking to? The audience? The casket? He was looking at none of them. He's eyes were on a book. A _book. _Leia always told him that people should look them them in the eye when speaking, because it was a sign of courtesy, it was a sign of existence, it was assign that the person they were talking to actually _meant something to the speaker._

So why was not looking at anyone but a book?! Was his speech from the book? It was a horrible speech then! It talked about sins and how whatever sins she have had would be forgiven, it talked about how the blessings she helped spread would echo throughout the world forever. It talked about so many things, but nothing of what really _mattered._

It didn't talk about how Leia loved going to the lake

It didn't talk about how she hated seafood with a passion

It didn't talk about how she loved white spider lilies and how she tried planting some in the garden but they kept on dying but she kept on trying and now their garden was filled with spider lilies.

It didn't talk about the things she loved and hated and accepted all the same

It didn't talk about the things that made Leia an individual

It didn't talk about any of that. But why would it?

It wasn't like they actually knew her.

* * *

"_Hey, where are you?" _

"_Hey, where are you?"_

"_Please answer me,"_

"_You made a promise, didn't you? Are you going to break that promise?"_

"_Please…,"_

* * *

He watched his parents begin to cry

They were lowering the casket, people were throwing flowers on it and the kids looked so bored and he just wanted to _break those expressions of theirs _but Leia would get angry and he didn't want that.

His sister threw a white spider lily into the hole

"_Why do you like white spider lilies so much?"_

"_Hm?" _Brown eyes met brown, and she smiled _"Funny story really, maybe I'll tell you in the future,"_

Getting up from his own seat, he threw his own flower on the casket

"_But white spider lilies aren't the only kinds of flowers I like ya know,"_

It was a spider lily

"_I also love red spider lilies,"_

It was red

"_They why don't you ever plant the red ones?"_

_Leia's smile turned bitter_

The spider lily dropped into the casket, right next to the white spider lily

"_Because not everyone likes it's meaning,"_

It was the only flower that wasn't white

And with that, Marcus began to cry

* * *

"_Hey, where are you?" _

"_Hey, where are you?"_

"_If you can hear me, say something,"_

"_Are you going to leave us alone?"_

"_Hey, where are you?"_

"_Tell me where you are so that I can come get you,"_

"_Tell me where you are so that I can know that all this was just a crazy nightmare,"_

"_Hey, where are you?"_

"…_Hey…,"_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

"…_I'm right here…Can't you hear me…?"_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

* * *

…**.Aaand DONE!**

**How did you like the story? I'm sorry if you expected it to do the dungeon part now…It was…but it got cut off….**

**Haha…ha**

**But still, I hoped you liked the story even if it feels like more of a filler than anything. I just wanted people to have a more in depth look on Sinbad and Shirin's relationship; it's not all just hate after all. Shirin isn't petty enough to hate a guy just because of his destiny.**

**So yeah, this chapter was more character development than actual plot line…I don't really like those kinds of chapters, but their important.**

**Did you guys like the transit on between 1****st**** to 2****nd**** perspectives? It would be difficult for me to write about their friendship if it's only in Shirin's perspective after all, Try as I might; she just doesn't have the correct mentality to notice these things.**

**Oh, as a celebration for it being my 5****th**** chapter and the fact that I might not be updating in a while, I gave this omake. I just…I wanted people to remember that for all of Shirin's adventures, she still left a family behind, and that family would very much grieve.**

**HOLD UP!: …ah, there's one thing I'd like to tell you guys! Seeing as I might hit the 100 mark soon (ohmygoshsomanyzeroes) let's play a little game! When reviewing, post with it an idea for an omake, it could be of anything of anyone in any timeline (meaning you can even request a story that's during the magi timeline) I will choose the most interesting idea out of all reviews (I'll even choose reviews over the hundredth mark) and post it as an omake on the 6****th**** chapter!**

**Rules:**

**1\. It cannot be rated M, no, but romance is allowed**

**2\. My brother is not allowed to cheat by posting his idea and giving me other ideas outside the computer.  
**

**3\. Only one idea per person**

**4\. The only ideas I'm gonna look at are the ones posted for Chapter 5 to prevent the 3****rd**** rule from having a loophole**

**5\. I'd like it if there's no suicide, or on screen deaths. Aside from Leia of course.**

**So…yeah! That's all I have to say about this fanfic! Before I end this note, let me thank you for all the support you've been giving me, almost everyone in both polls and reviews stated I should shorten my fanfics (hahahaha…ah) and update faster. Really, thank you for the having the time to say that, I almost thought my authors note would be forgotten…**

**As a reward, I'm thinking of posting a one-shot in the fandom, it's not OC, it's not related to Destiny's Play at all. I won't tell you much about it, but look forward to it once it's released!**

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! And I'll give you French frie- No wait, I don't want to give you guys fries, I want to keep it all for myself…bye.**


	6. Stage of Trust

**I don't like this chapter, I don't like it one bit. It's too short and dark and I can't seem to match up the scenes correctly. You don't know how many times I had to rewrite my entire idea because of this chapter alone. What's more, I was all in on finishing the entire dungeon scene here, but couldn't because I gave up on finishing this chapter when Christmas came, so you'll find that the story is relatively shorter than my other chapters since not much goes on in this chapter. Overall, it doesn't feel 'complete'. Still, school's starting again and I had to throw everything in now so that I don't have to bother with them at the moment. **

**As an apology, I'm going to be posting a few side stories in this fanfic soon. I actually thought of just putting the stories at the bottom of the fanfic like most omakes, but found that it would be too big and difficult to read then. I find that putting the side stories in a separate chapter is more efficient. So yeah, thanks for the idea for the third omake mun3litKnight! Your one of the few reviews that didn't ask for something that going to be in the plot and spoil everything anyways! Through you're going to have to squint to realize why she likes Spider lilies (Not Tiger Lilies)**

**To MomoYoMaki: That is strange in a way, but I don't really think it that the reason is that serious. Kouha is the third prince and the only prince that does not have the same mother, despite that, it was implied that Kouen and Koumei took the liberty of taking care of him when his mother went crazy. I doubt anything really bad would have happened under their gazes. It's not that he's keeping it short either, his hair is much longer than Kouen and Koumei combined, and he takes care of it to the point of running gag. Simply put, it's not that he cut his hair, he just changed hairstyles. If you're looking at it in a symbolic fashion however, given that the teachings state that: ****(your body and hair was given to you by your parents, you shouldn't damage it) ****You could say that his short hair is supposed to represent how he does not acknowledge his father and mother, as it was his brothers that raised him.**

**RELEVANT: Now, before you start this chapter, let me make this clear. In chapter 5, Yunan says that Sinbad he had better take care of Shirin and that he would come back for her, right? Well our little Shirin here was too preoccupied by the thought that her own father was about to throw her in a dungeon to hear that, so she doesn't hear these important bits. Knowing that, Shirin is going to…actually, you might as well just read it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Magi, just my OC, Shirin.**

* * *

Destiny's Play

Chapter 6:

Stage of Trust

.

To Believe and To Doubt

.

"_Please… If there's anyone there…,"_

* * *

_I woke up startled and sweating_

"_Is something wrong?" In shock, I snapped my head to the sound and found Nanan beside my side of the bed, dabbing a cold piece of cloth on my feverish forehead. Nanan himself was looking worriedly at the amount of fluids I must be sweating out right now. He had just come home from one of his frequent outings and had been completely exhausted when he returned home that he fell asleep at the front porch. I had wanted to ask him what he was doing outside since it was unusual for Nanan to get this tired from a mere stroll, but then I caught a fever all of a sudden and found that I was too weak to do anything about it._

_How odd, I swore I was in perfect health just a few hours ago… this is happening more often than before…_

"_N-nope," I said, looking to the side for a moment before turning back to the man that was taking care of me. "You should rest Nanan, you might catch my cold if you don't loosen up." I wasn't over exaggerating when I said that he had literally fallen asleep on the front porch when I opened the door, and had jumped up the second I collapsed. That kind of hasty movements would put too much stress on the body, and I don't want to get him sick just because he was helping me._

_But Nanan just gave a chuckle and continued to cool my head gently, a smile I couldn't quite describe playing on his lips._

"_It's okay…Nanan doesn't get sick anyways." He whispered softly before taking the cloth and squeezing the water into a wooden basin, and even I put down any arguments about this fact when I heard that tone of voice, I've never heard such a bitter tone from him "Besides…being alone when you need someone by your side…is very painful, and Nanan doesn't want you to experience that,"_

_With that, he gave me a smile, and I couldn't find it within myself to ask for the story behind those words._

…_One day maybe, but not today_

"…_You should go to sleep now, you'll get better if you let your body relax," He said, and a thrum of nostalgia sparked at those words as a smile came up to my face. In the corners of my mind…I saw 'that' person saying that phrase exactly like Nanan would say it…_

_The problem is…I can't sleep, not the way I want to at least._

_I don't remember when it started, but for a while now, every time I try going to sleep really, I've been getting these horrible nightmares. It's always the same nightmare too, dark shadows eating me alive while screams from all directions are heard. At first I suspected that it was due to some sort of trauma I unconsciously got when my village was destroyed, but then I started having similar dreams, only with me being and adult again and the screams appearing to be much too familiar to be just be my imagination. At first I thought that the dark shadows were black Rukh, but I began to doubt after a while. These things felt so much more terrifying than those black birds. Unlike them, these things feel like they want to kill me._

_**And I don't want to die-**_

"_Could it be that you had a nightmare? You can talk to me about it," Nanan said patiently by my side. I shook my head in refusal to Nanan's proposal though. While these dreams are weird and traumatizing at times, it's not something I want Nanan to know about. Call me crazy, but I feel like I really shouldn't tell him about these things._

_(Besides, I only get these kinds of dreams when Nanan isn't with me…)_

_At my answer, Nanan let out a sigh and left my side of the bed…only to reappear on his side of the bed tucked under the covers just like me._

"…_If you don't want to tell me yet, that's okay," He said when my head snapped towards him in a startled expression "But I'll be right here, okay? You don't need to worry about nightmares when I'm around," _

_Gah…That's not good…Nanan might get sick…oh but, he said he doesn't get sick…but still…_

"_Good night, Riri," He said, planting a kiss on my forehead. I felt my eyes growing heavy and let them shut, unconsciously snuggling towards the source of warmth right beside me._

_He's really warm…_

* * *

**? (Original World) – 1****st**** Dungeon Baal – Unknown**

I felt my body hit the dusty ground hard like a rag doll being thrown from a building. Dull and worthless.

_Inhale_

_Exhale_

Idly, I recognized that Sinbad had fallen slightly to the left, and was already in the process of getting up. He was examining the surroundings.

_Inhale_

_Exhale_

"Huh…that thing earlier," I heard Sinbad say with a shaky breath "No…not just that,"

_Inhale-_

"This is…The inside of a dungeon?!"

**Dungeon…?**

Ah…I-I'm in…the dungeon…

N-Nanan, h-he…

I started to choke

_H-He threw me in a…dungeon…_

I couldn't breath

_A-An accident, T-This has got to be an a-accident…_ I thought furiously, and yet my heart was still beating frantically in unbounded fear, suddenly everything around me looked so scary _Nanan would never- he would never throw his own child in a dungeon would he…?D-Dungeons are too d-dangerous a-after all…Y-you could…y-you could really-_

"This is amazing! Look Shi- Shirin?!"

"**-killed more than 10,000 men-,"**

A-Ah…I-I'm…I-I'm-

"**People started calling it the hole of death-"**

"What the- Hey Shirin-!"

_**-A gunshot was heard, followed by an intense pain-**_

_**-My father screaming in agony-**_

…_die a horrible death here, right?_

No…nonononononoNoNoNONONONONONO**NONONONONONONONO!**

I'm just overreacting! Yeah! Overreacting! Nanan wouldn't do this to me! It's impossible! It's-

_**Unless he wanted you to-**_

NONONONONO_**NO**_!

"Shirin! Breathe!"

_"I can't take care of your daughter! I'm going into a dungeon! Do you want your daughter to-!"_

…_to…_

…_die…?_

_**Nanan never answered that…did he?**_

no…

No

NO

_**NO**_

_**THIS ISN'T HAPPENING**_

_**THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING**_

_**I DON'T UNDERSTAND**_

_**NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO!**_

_**I'M GONNA DIE**_

_**I'M GONNA DIE**_

_**I'M GONNA DIE**_

_**I'M GONNA DIE**_

_**I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE NANAN THREW ME IN A DUNGEON THIS ISN'T HAPPENING WHY WOULD HE THROW ME IN A DUNGEON I DON'T UNDERSTAND NONONONONONONONO WHT DID NANAN THROW ME IN A DUNGEON HE KNOWS HAVE DANGEROUS DUNGEONS ARE HE KNOWS THAT A TON OF PEOPLE GOT KILLED IN HERE AND WE EVEN SAW AN ARMY GO INSIDE AND NEVER RETURN AND YET HE STILL THREW ME IN WITHOUT EVEN TELLING ME ABOUT IN I'M SCARED I'M SCARED I'M SCARED I DON'T WANT TO DIE SO FAR FROM HOME I DON'T UNDERSTAND HIM AT ALL THIS MAKES NO SENSE NOPLEASENOPLEASENOPLEASENOPLEASENO PLEASE DON'T LET IT BE WHAT I THINK IT IS I DON'T WANT TO DIE I DON'T WANT TO DIE I DON'T WANT TO DIE AGAIN IT'S SO PAINFUL AND SO EMPTY AND AND AND I WANT TO LIVE I DON'T WANT TO DIE ISN'T THIS TOO SOON I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE I DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT THIS FUCKING POWER OF KINGS SO WHY AM I GETTING DRAGGED INTO THIS I JUST WANTED TO GET AWAY FROM HERE I DON'T WANT TO DIE HERE I'M SCARED THIS ISN'T HAPPENING THIS ISN'T HAPPENING I DON'T WANT TO DIE YET HELP ME I DON'T WANT THISTHISISJUSTANIGHTMARENANANWAKEMEUPNANANWHEREAREYOUPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEthIsiSN'THaPPeNiNGIdOn'tWaNTtOdIEyETsOmEOnEAnyOnEpLeAsEHeLPmE-**_

***SLAP!***

"SHIRIN!"

_I wanna go home_

Immediately after he slapped me back to my senses, I began to choke and fill my lungs with air once more. It took me a moment to realize that the Rukh surrounding me and Sinbad were fluttering around us anxiously, whispering things that were too soft for me to pay attention to at the moment, but seemed to hold a heavily worried tone. Sinbad himself didn't look any better; his entire face was lined in alarm, with his eyebrows scrunched and a perpetual frown on his face.

My arms feel so weak

"…are you okay?" He asked softly in a tone I've never heard him speak with yet. Instinctively, I opened my mouth to say that I was, and that he didn't need to worry. But soon enough, I closed my own mouth and stayed silent. That is one line that no one would ever believe.

Not even me

(But I need to say it anyways. Speak, I need to speak)

"…,"

Sinbad's anxiety didn't ease up one bit, in fact, it looked like it just worsened "C'mon, work with me here," He said with a little bit more urgency, looking for any sign that I acknowledged even hearing him. I opened my mouth again, but I couldn't find it within myself to talk at all.

(Nonono, I should be telling him that I'm alright because _I am_ and he needs to move on and continue the storyline because if he stays here for longer than three months he won't get to see Esla and Drakon might die. I need to say I'm_ alright-_)

(I-I don't want to be the burden here, not again)

"Is this about…Yunan…?" Sinbad tested and I flinched

A-Ah, how long has it been since I've heard someone else use his name before…?

_It felt like years_

"So it is," Sinbad's frown seemed to deepen at my flinch, as if confirming something without my words. He moved the hand on my back to my shoulder, and then put his other hand on my other shoulder, locking me in place in front of him.

"Shirin, listen to me," Sinbad said with all seriousness, and even then I didn't move my head to meet those amber eyes because I might as well be turning my head away from the sheer intensity it must be holding in a few seconds.

_NoNoNo, Ignore, Ignore. He's only going to say bad things about Nanan. Didn't he hate Yunan in the future? Nonono I don't want to hear it, I don't want to doubt my father-_

"_**Listen," "Please Listen,"**_

Ah…the Rukh

In surprise by the sheer increase in volume coming from the Rukh, my hysterics stopped, if only a little.

"I might not know what was in your father's head at the moment, throwing you in a dungeon of all places," I flinched at the sheer bluntness, but not as much as I anticipated due to the boy's surprisingly gentle voice "But believe me when I say that I'm positive about one thing-,"

My whole body tensed

**NONONONONONO!**

Don't finish that sentence! I don't want to hear it! PleasePleasePlease!

Don't finish that sentence-

_**-He hates you-**_

_**-He probably wants you dead because you were a burden-**_

_**-Why else would he take the effort of throwing you in a dungeon?-**_

NO!

_**-He doesn't love you anymore-**_

_**-He wants you dead-**_

_**-He-**_

"He loves you,"

…?

"You probably didn't hear him, but he promised to come back for you," Sinbad said, and the sound of his voice felt like it was breaking every form of mental defense I had formed in retaliation, even as it failed to deny these words. Sinbad took my silence in an smiled honestly "Believe me when I say that he loves you, he genuinely loves you. So there's got to be some reason to why he sent you here with me,"

A-Ah, H-He said that…?

N-No, t-that can't be right…H-He threw M-Me-

"_**He will come back for you," "Your safe here,"**_

"_**You won't die here," "He didn't want to send you here,"**_

"_**Even if it's difficult at the moment, please believe in him," "Please believe that he loves you,"**_

"You should know him better than anyone, right?" Sinbad said gently, the smile on his face taking a softer note "You of all people should know that he would never do something that would hurt you on purpose,"

_"You call me 'Nanan' yet you say you don't have a family?"_

Ah…

Why…did I suddenly remember that…?

"_**He sincerely wishes to protect you," "Nothing will endanger you here,"**_

"_**Your safe here, he knows that too," "Just see for yourself, you are protected here,"**_

"_**So please believe in him, okay?" "He cares for you deeply,"**_

_"Well the best way to get to know something is experiencing it, right? What better way to learn more about the world than traveling across it?"_

Tears continued to trail down my face, the fear and anxiety not completely gone, but not completely there.

A-A-Ah…

"_**You are his first 'real' family after all. You are his first daughter, and the most miraculous moment of his life,"**_

_"After this, let's continue our little travels, okay?"_

"I-I-Is," I said with a shaky voice, letting my anxiety over the situation wash over me.

"_**And he has lived…a very…very long life,"**_

"_Being alone…when you need someone by your side…is very painful, and Nanan doesn't want you to experience that,"_

"I-Is that t-true…?"

You're not lying…right?

I felt tears begin to well up from under my eyes. Just like it did on that night Yui saved me. I honestly felt like a child again. How could I not though? All this time, I thought Nanan would never endanger me on purpose, because I was his daughter now, and you don't do that to your own kids. But even then, he still threw me in a dungeon like I was some rag he had to throw away, I couldn't understand it at all. Why would he do this? Even if Sinbad was here, doesn't he care if I got hurt here? Shouldn't he be worried for his own daughter? D-Did he e-even think of m-me as his daughter?

It's all too much. I could seriously die here, and he still threw me. I never had to go through this in my past life. I never had to doubt that my parents didn't regret giving birth to me. I never had to doubt that my siblings hated me. I never had to doubt that the people I cared for loved me as much as I loved them. Perhaps I'm being over dramatic here, collapsing completely because of one action, and I know that there would be people out there that would ridicule me for it. But they just don't know, they don't know what it's like to die alone. They don't know what it's like be reborn without your consent. They don't know what it's like to have to start over all over again after losing everything.

They don't know what it's like to know full well that you didn't belong there.

I can deny it all I want, but I know that I didn't belong here. Yunan, Hakuyuu, Hakuren, Esla, Judar. They all _belonged _in that world; there was no doubt about that. They were all people who belonged in that world, they were born to live in it and they were born to die in it.

I wasn't. I lived in another world, grew in another world, _died_ in another world.

And for all the bad things that world held, I _loved _my life, I _loved _my world, because my family was there, because the love of my life was there, because my life was there, because _I _was there.

I didn't even choose to reincarnate, and yet I lost _everything _getting here, even my own _identity._

Things didn't even get any better after that. I just kept on _losing things. _My parents, my village, my brother, _everything _was taken away from me because I didn't have the power to protect it. Then Yunan came and I thought I could live in peace just a little longer, just until I can stand with my own two feet again. Then this happens and almost thought I really was going to lose everything again, even my life. At times like these, I can't stop myself from wishing that I could go back to my old life and my old family, and just hug my mom and dad and everyone that was still there. But I can't do that anymore, not with all this happening. I'm stuck in a place I shouldn't be in, and I have to question every action I take because _I don't want to be the reason that things change for the worse._

This is just too much handle. It's like the dam broke and all my fears were pushing me down deeper and deeper and were trying to kill me all over again.

How could anyone expect to just… jump right back up after all that?

How could anyone expect…that I wouldn't feel unsure because of all that?

_I just…_

At my question, Sinbad gave me a smile, a smile so warm and reassuring that it just couldn't have been fake.

_I just need a sign…_

"Of course it is,"

_That the one person who took me in…isn't throwing me away_

And with that, I began to cry

_And that…I still have a chance to regain what I lost_

* * *

**?– 1****st**** Dungeon Baal – Unknown**

Sinbad couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief when Shirin had finally broken down and started crying. Not that he's happy that she's crying of course, but more of the fact that she's finally stopped being all silent. He almost thought she had died with her eyes open when that happened. He was exhilarated at first, when he realized that he was actually in a dungeon and was actually starting an adventure just like the ones in Darius's stories. But then when he had turned around to show Shirin the wonders he was looking at-

_-she wasn't breathing_

Solomon, she looked like she _died _the second they entered the dungeon.

In his excitement, he hadn't realized that the child was going through shock from the events that aspired, he even had to slap her awake to get her to breathe again. But she had remained listless, completely detached to the things going around her, and it worried him a lot. Because the girl he knew was silent, but never _this _silent.

_It was because all because her father had thrown her in a dungeon of all places_

Sinbad felt a frown mare his lips at the thought, but made sure not to let it show in front of Shirin as it would be troublesome at the moment. When he told her that her father still loved her, he was telling the truth. He didn't exactly understand how he knew this, but somehow, it felt _correct._

"_**Yunan cares for his daughter deeply,"**_

But his actions had hurt her, in such a way that was too much for a child, let alone a four year old.

And, to Sinbad's eyes, that was unforgivable.

From the moment she spoke, Sinbad knew that she was different from the average child. Despite only being in at the age of four, the child already wielded vocabulary clearer than any other child her age. She spoke to people in a casual fashion contrary to a child's cute, loud, or soft-spoken manner, as if she were talking to people her own age. She was also noticeably mature despite her short temper, understanding the consequences of harming a soldier on duty and preventing the reckless actions of the children. All in all, she was an odd duckling.

But that never meant that she deserved _this_

Sure, she was loud most of the time, and disrespectful (and rude, and vulgar, and- Sinbad had to shake his head to get back on track) to people she hated. But she wasn't a _bad _person. A bad person wouldn't talk to a crowd of adults who were thinking of practically committing mass suicide by going on a riot. A bad person wouldn't calm down children with stories when talking was never her most favorite thing to do. A bad person wouldn't clean a house and keep his mother company for a whole day when she really wasn't _obliged_ to do so.

Sinbad had met his fair share of bad people, and Shirin wasn't one of them.

Three days was enough to know that much about her.

Three days was enough to know that she doesn't deserve being thrown in a dungeon.

He may not know the reason as to _why_ Yunan thought throwing her in a dungeon in general was a good idea, he may never know really. And _never_ once did he doubt his intuition, which is why his words for Shirin were spoken with sincerity.

**But**

If it _did_ turn out that Shirin – who he reluctantly admits to thinking of her as an annoying little sister despite the short amount of time they spent under each others' noses – was actually thrown in this dungeon because Yunan wanted to…_off_ her. Or even if it simply turned out that his intuition was wrong and Yunan didn't care for his daughter as much as he said he did…

Then may Solomon have mercy on that man's soul soul, because nothing will stop him from punching the crap out of that _so-called father_

Because no child deserves a neglectful father, **no one**

* * *

**? – 1****st**** Dungeon Baal – Unknown**

"I told you, I'm _fine. _Let's just get moving already,"

"You sure? But you were-,"

"Dammit! I'm fine! What are you?! Dumb and Deaf?! Get it through your thick skull Sinbaka! I'll be fine once we get out of this Solomon-forsaken place!"

Sinbad felt his mouth twitch at the insult, what happened to the kid who was bawling just a few minutes ago, huh? To think he actually thought of her as an annoying little sister. Oh, how he wants to take that back.

(Nevertheless, the sight of the child frozen in shock, not even allowing herself to breathe or recognize anything around her – Sinbad shivered at the thought, the sight of the sheer mental breakdown from the four year old girl will probably haunt him for the rest of the journey.)

But just as he was about to speak his own thoughts about Shirin rushing through the dungeon like a madman, she started muttering worriedly.

"Dammit," She said faintly, had Sinbad not been next to her, he would have missed it, and even then her sentences were cut off multiple times. "Where-…-no time-…how long-…can't let him-…If we don't hurry-,"

If we don't hurry…?

"Dammit! _WHERE ARE THEY_?!"

"Whoa!" The boy gasped when the child suddenly screamed in frustration, _almost_ tripping and missing a step in the process. Immediately, he shot up and scanned their surroundings for any form of predators that could have been lured by the girl's voice, to his confusion however, no such creature arrived. He sighed in relief before turning back to the source of the noise and berating her.

"Don't speak so loud," He hissed, and Shirin blinked in surprise "What if one of those creatures spots us and starts attacking? Keep your voice down at least,"

Shirin clicked her tongue and sighed in frustration "Sorry, sorry," She said reluctantly, looking around the place in the process, what was she searching for? "But we…we really have to get going, okay? Like, _now_,"

"What's the rush?" Sinbad asked, his eyebrow rising an inch. While it was understandable that the child wanted to leave this place quickly, her frustration and anxiety was rather out of place. Could it be that she was worried that the army would beat them to their goal?

But just when he was going to speak about this-

"ZAMIL! TABI!"

"What the-?!" Shirin jumped when the shout was heard, before a strange look crossed her face. All of a sudden, the girl was pulling at his hand towards the direction of the shout "It's this way!"

Having no time to argue, Sinbad picked the child up and ran towards the source of the voice, only to stop at the sight that preceded him.

While the Reim Empire boasted their strength and perseverance, the jewel of Partevia had always been its loyalty and skill of their soldiers. To be a soldier in the Partevian army was equal to that of having a noble title in the middle class and first class. Boys barely reaching the ages of four were taught to seek this title and bring glory to the family and patrons of the child. Before the war against their neighboring country, the path to becoming a soldier of the Partevian army was equal to that of torture, and only a mere hundred ever qualify to even be given the chance to become a soldier. Moreover, while the standards had been lowered due to the country's need for soldiers, only those who truly passed the test of skill could become one of the elite. For unlike the mere farmers who were forced to join the war, they were the _chosen. _They possessed the skill, the courage, the strength, the _loyalty _that Partevia boasted their soldiers of having. They were the strongest soldiers Partevia had to offer.

Knowing all that, the sight was depressingly futile.

Carnage wrought the land with the faces of death and gore. Useless were the years they spent training and improving as they are cleaved apart by the winged creatures, leaving nothing but the image of butchery and pain to haunt the eyes of the dying soldiers as they callously scream in their final moments. The legs that were boasted by many to be able to run across plains and lead their country to victory were sprawled on the ground without bodies to carry, weak and motionless like that of an infant's. Arms that once carried halberds and swords made from the finest metals and molted to become weapons of war were hanging by the mere threads of bloodied flesh still connected to the torsos that will no longer rise and fall with the breath of life. The faces of the men that once held the lining of the pride and capability that the country birthed and raised were forever frozen with their mouths agape in silence screams and eyes widen with fear and pain as the last trickles of tears fall across their cold skin.

And in the center of this bloody carnage was a boy about his age, screaming a silent scream as he makes a final stand in front of death itself, all the while fighting to vanish the tears of fear that threatened to come out of his eyes and stop the quivering of his arms.

Sinbad leaped without thinking. No, that was incorrect; he did not allow himself to think then. If he ever brought himself to look back to that day of slaughter, he would have commented to himself that leaping in was a very reckless thing for him to do, that merely throwing a rock at the creatures to distract them away from the soldier would have been better and would have resulted to less injuries. But as the shouts of shock coming from both the soldier and his charge echoed and the sound of his father's blade piercing themselves into the bloodstained throats of the winged creatures and gouging them out forcefully rang through his ears, Sinbad understood.

When the crate holding what remained of his dear father arrived empty of everything but a sword, he had at first been racked with guilt for being the cause of his sentence. While he did not regret saving the Reim spy, he regretted becoming the man's hostage and forcing his family into punishment for housing said spy. It had taken days for him to rise back up after that and vow to protect his mother like his father had asked him to. He knew deep down that his father would have never wanted his two most beloved people falling into despair, and his mother knew that too, which was why they worked so hard to change the minds of the townspeople despite still mourning for the death of a love one.

They did it because Badr _loved_ them

He _loved_ them, and he would have never wanted them to feel such pain for no reason.

Which is why the idea of someone willing to throw their own child to the pits of hell was so **damn** **frustrating.**

Personally, he hated the commander of the army for forcing so many people to their deaths. He also wanted very much to punch him in the face for being so blind as to believe that a village without any men was a village with no workforce. But now, inside this dungeon, he understood.

The boy was like him, like Shirin

He was a _child, _a delusional one, in fact.

Worse yet, he was a child forced upon by his own family to enter a dungeon with only 99 soldiers, when it was known that the dungeon had killed far more than that. He was like Shirin, a child who their own family betrayed them by throwing them in a place they could only hope to escape alive.

He has had it with bad parents. He had _literally_ just witnessed one of the two breaking down at the mere thought of being thrown into a dungeon by her own father just a few moments ago – And damn it, the kid was just a four year old, what kind of self respecting parent would do something like that to their own child?! – and now he sees that the boy in front of him was in about the exact same position and was going to die because of some sick power control. **He has had enough of this.**

Sinbad lunged towards the second creature even before the first could fall to the ground, slicing through the gums before the monster could rip through his throat "Start moving already!" He shouted at the boy to get him out of his tremor. Shocked by the sudden change of events, the soldier fumbled for a moment before coming to his senses and swinging his sword upwards towards the third creature, fruitfully blinding it before following Sinbad's actions and jamming his own sword at the creature's throat with the procession of a well-trained soldier.

From the rock he had just been hiding behind, Shirin gaped at them in sheer disbelief, and looked like she wanted to curse out a line of swearwords about how reckless he was, but reluctantly kept her mouth shut to prevent more enemies from spotting them. Not that she needed to, the gritty hoarse cries of the winged beasts were enough to catch the attention of more than one of its own kind. With that in mind, running would be the safest option.

"Over here!" He told the boy, who was looking down to the faces of his army in undisguised horror "We need to hide before more come!" With that he ran back towards the safety of the rock – it _should _be safe, given that none of the creatures made a move to go after Shirin while she was screaming bloody murder at his stunt – the commander following right behind him. All the while, they had to run past bodies after bodies of soldiers and the faces of horror and slaughter. Sinbad grimaced when he noticed two particular corpses that looked eerily similar to the two guards that came to the village that day.

It almost felt like forever for the two fourteen year old, stepping over chunks of flesh and broken swords as they ran towards their goal. When they had finally reached their destination, Sinbad had practically collapsed in exhaustion, the commander of the army collapsing only minutes afterwards.

_Then_ Shirin freaked

"What. The. Fuck. Sinbaka!?" She shrieked checking over for injuries all the while swearing frantically. In Sinbad's honest opinion, she looked like a squawking parrot with all the different shades that were going through her face "Are you an Idiot?! You could have just thrown a fucking rock at them! And don't you mother fucking tell me there aren't any rocks here! Stupid! Idiot! Is your brain made of Testosterone or something?! Do you need medical treatment for brain damage?!"

Sinbad winced, she shouted right on the ear. After he hastily apologize – because he really _could_ have just thrown a rock at them to distract them – Shirin took out a roll of bandages and bandaged his arm – it got injured by the monster's claws while he was piercing it's through with his sword – all the while grumbling in annoyance and shock.

"Were safe here for now," He told the soldier and Shirin, the latter grumbling while the former still panting in exhaustion. He paused for a moment before asking the boy "Hey wait, why was your unit ahead of me in the dungeon? I'm the one who entered first," Due to his own focus towards the collapsed soldier, he didn't notice how the child paused for a moment before starting back up again, albeit more on the quiet side of things.

Instead of answering his question, the boy shot up and snapped towards him, a look of fierce realization on his face.

"You're the kid from earlier!" He declared just as Shirin finished bandaging his arm "Why did you save me?!"

…What?

"I'm a military officer!" He said, gesturing to himself before pointing at him, an angry and confused look on his face "And you're the famed expatriate of this country! There is no reason for you…to go and save me!"

…okay. What?

Whatever good mood he had plummeted down to zero at the boy's conceding tone, why did he save him again?

_Because you were blinded by your own family to agree that every sacrifice is worth it if you win, even your own. _

_Because I refuse to stoop as low as you by ignoring someone's death._

_Because Shirin was just four years old, and she'd scream if she saw someone die in front of her, and I won't let someone as young as her witness a person die so soon._

Instead of saying any of this, he sighed

"…I don't care about reasons, there's no helping it, now that I saved you," he said, waving the soldier off dismissively as irritation from his recent memories with the person surfaced. He remembered wanting to punch him earlier, this should be good enough "Just saying but, with that deathly pale face and all that trembling…it seems like you're the one who's a kid,"

He would never admit it, but the face the boy made at his statement was satisfying.

"I-I'm a…_kid_, you say?" the soldier said with clenched fists, and Sinbad counted the seconds before he erupts into a childish four year old rant. He's seen kids calmer than this dude, Shirin not included "H-How rude!"

The boy pointed at Sinbad in a dramatic fashion "Very well! You may be just a commoner, but I'll enlighten you!" He felt a twitch at being called commoner "Remember this well! My name that holds an honorable linage!"

Sinbad opened his mouth to speak-

"The youngest son of the Dragul family, a clan of Partevian generals. Son of the General Draguliel Hendrius Nodomis-,"

He paused

"-Pertegomidus. Commander of the western military unit-,"

He stared

"I am Dragul Nol Henrius, Govius-,"

And stared

"-Menudias Partenuvo-,"

He seriously could fall asleep right there and then.

"-mias Dumid Os-,"

Who the hell gives a damn about such long names?! Why do nobles need such tongue twisters as their names anyway?! Sinbad scoffed at the sheer silliness of the idea, but when he turned to the side, he found Shirin sitting patiently beside him, still listening to Dra…?

Sinbad frowned

Dra…Dra…Mon? Dra…lel? Solomon, see? That long ass name already slipped his mind. There's got to be an easier way to say that name…

Dra…? Think, Sinbad, think. He can't keep calling the prat by that name in battle. A shorter name is needed.

"-Kartanon,"

Dra…Kartanon? …Drakart? Dra…Drak…

…Ah!

"Kay, I'll just call you Drakon!"

Beside him, Shirin face palmed. And Drakon's smile vanished. The newly christened 'Drakon' stared dumbly at Sinbad, unable to process the current events "…what? ...Eh?" As if watching a comedy act that took a turn for the boring, Shirin sighed and looked at the commander in a pitying fashion as she sat cross-legged on the floor.

Sinbad felt oddly irked by this.

"It means Sinbaka's short attention span can't handle the length of your introduction, so he chose the easy way out and gave you a nickname," She said with a bland tone, with a hint of amusement at the sight of the commander's increasingly reddening face. Drakon snapped at her direction before the slow realization of reality dawned to him, and by the time he ran up to Sinbad and practically leaped at him for his general offense, his face had already become pinched with fury. Sinbad scowled while Shirin groaned.

Yeah, whatever good mood he had is _seriously_ gone now

"Why you! How dare you recklessly slander the honor of the Dragul family name by shortening it! You beast!"

"What the-! Get the hell off me! And I just did you a favor! That name is just silly! You can't even use it in a decent conversation!"

"What do you know, you commoner, about decent conversation?! And mind you, my name is not 'silly'! It is a worthy name for a noble of the Dragul family! Unlike your unsophisticated commoner name, mine has an honorable history behind it!"

"Who the hell cares about history?! It's just a name!"

"Y-You!"

"Besides! You can't even say it in one breath!"

"O-Of course I can! It is Dragul Nol Henrius-,"

"Argh! Stop that! I swear I'll fall asleep if I have to hear that again!"

"H-How dare you-!"

"And my name isn't unsophisticated or whatever! It's a nice and simple name that's easy to remember and easy to say! C'mon, say it with me S-I-N-B-A-D! See?! Easy!"

"That is because commoners like you do not have the mental capacity to house such noble names!"

"D-Did you just call me stupid?! **I'll kill you!**"

"_Who the hell did I piss off in my past life to get this?"_ The girl whined silently to herself, and should the other two have heard her, the odd language she used would have confused them. Leaning against the stone dividing them from the bloody execution site, she could not help but let out a sigh of frustration - and perhaps a lining of wonder - on just how fast they were able to get back up from that horrific sight, especially since one of them had witnessed it first-hand. Even from afar, she couldn't help but shiver at the sight, as it was much too gruesome to be anything reality could offer.

Even when the dragon appeared and they forced themselves into a temporary truce, Shirin could not help but wonder about just how easily they brushed off the deaths of these men. Or was it perhaps that she was the odd one here?

Shirin frowned at the thought, and the Rukh merely hummed beside her. Calm and collected as always.

* * *

**? (Original World) – 1****st**** Dungeon Baal – Unknown**

I turned my head away from the killed mole monster in disturbance. I honestly felt ready to puke at the moment, but I don't want to be a hindrance and cause a scene. Sinbad and Drakon are already doing all the work here clearing the path for us, all I can do is give them a little first aid when they need it. I wish I could help them out more – saves me from the worry at least – but my connection with Judar seems to be cut off here, leaving me in a rather depressing state of having an average child sized magoi flow. I didn't realize how much assurance I felt from that connection between us until now.

Everything around me just looks so much _bigger _and _scarier _without it. Like it's trying to suck me in and the only thing that was keeping me from falling down was that single string.

I flinched from the back of my hiding place when one of the odd looking mole monsters got a bit too close to my hiding spot before being stabbed by Dakon's sword, causing the not-at-all-red blood to cover the side of the rock and the corpse to fall beside me. Like the other corpses, I turned my head away from it and ignored it, opting not to even notice its existence lest I finally lose whatever's still in my stomach. So far I haven't been hurt physically by this dungeon, but I'm sure as hell that my mental stability is taking its toll with each passing second in this god forsaken tower.

God, I just want to get out of here already and get some answers from Nanan. I really want to believe that he didn't abandon me like Sinbad said.

"It's time to move," I turned my head back towards the corpse and saw a pair of feet. Looking up slightly, I saw the formal face of one Commander Dragul, looking down at me with a neutral expression. I held back a sigh and got up quietly, carefully stepping over the carcasses and towards the Partevian soldier. Turning my head, however, I found that Sinbad was not with us.

"Where is he?" I asked myself as I started looking around. To my surprise however, Drakon actually answered.

"The expatriate said that he wished to scout ahead for a while to make sure that there would be no other form of traps," I looked at his miffed expression in confusion before following him. What, did something happen between them again? Even though they formed a temporary truce, these guys can't seem to stop their squabbles. How on earth did Sinbad gain this guy's respect anyways? Did I miss something in the manga that revealed the reason?

Oh well, best not to get involved at the moment. This guy is seriously out of my status, it would be dangerous if I did something that he disapproved.

"That so…," I trailed off. Still it's weird that Sinbad would go off on his own (And leaving me with this guy) so suddenly, what's the big deal? Shrugging away the question in my head, I glanced at Drakon, checking the boy's body for any injuries. For such odd-looking armor, it was able to block off most of the attacks, at least when they sent the soldiers to their death, they were "Kind enough" to at least give them quality armor. Through, there could be a chance that he's suffering from an injury I can't quite see.

_Should I ask if he needs healing? _I thought. But just when I opened my mouth to ask, Drakon spoke up.

"Why is a wanderer like you traveling alongside that expatriate in the dungeon?" He asked, and I almost tripped at the sudden, straightforward question. What the-?! Give a warning before asking something would ya?!

…wait

"…How did you know I was a wanderer?" I asked, before pausing "Wait, don't answer that. You saw me with my Nanan a few days ago right?" It was rather obvious to anyone that Nanan and I stood out amongst the crowd, with our odd choice of clothing and Nanan's height and appearance. I suppose you could also count me in that package too, since I haven't seen a single person with the same red eyes as I do yet. Not only that, Nanan was obviously male, and yet he was not a soldier and wasn't recruited to become one. It is rather obvious if you think about it like that.

Seeing as Drakon was still looking at me in a judging manner, I answered his question.

"I'm not in this dungeon by choice really, I was thrown in by someone along with said idiot," I tried not to trail off at that, as the conversation felt rather odd for me to have at the current situation. Plus, it's been a while since someone spoke to me as if I was older than I appeared, which is…weird, to say the least. Drakon raised an eyebrow at my explanation.

"Thrown in? I was under the impression that you willingly entered this dungeon," I frowned at the statement. I suppose with how Sinbad made his entrance, it would appear like both of us willingly entered. I shook my head in denial.

"I am not suicidal," I told him as we walked, it's odd that he's treating me like an equal in this conversation though, not that I don't find it refreshing, It's been a while since I could speak like my original age again. I wonder what the catch is "I'm only four years old, not the appropriate age for dungeon capturing. If thousands of soldiers couldn't survive this place, then throwing a kid like me into it is like a butcher's day, and I would rather have never entered this dungeon for the rest of my life,"

Drakon seemed to stay silent after that, as if satisfied with what little information I was able to give him. I felt my eyebrows furrow at this and soon enough gathered ample courage to ask the question. This…isn't the way most people would talk to a four year old…

"If you don't mind me asking…Why are you being so polite…?" I asked hesitantly, in a manner too soft for Sinbad to hear should he be close by, but loud enough to not sound like a whisper in the wind "You…don't talk like this with Sinbad, which is understandable, since he's a commoner, but why me? Cause um…I'm barely four years old here,"

Drakon's steps became slower, and I myself stumbled when I heard the answer he spouted afterwards.

"But of course. No matter the age, it would be rude to speak impolitely to the daughter of a magi,"

I stumbled

…What

…

**WHAT?!**

"W-wh-WHAT?!" I stuttered before slapping my hand over my mouth when that came out too loud, don't want Sinbad to hear this if he's actually nearby "What?" I said a bit more quietly "What are you talking about?"

For the first time since we started walking, Drakon actually stopped to look at me, and it was only then did I realize that he had a reproachful and confused expression, as if he was unsure how to handle this situation. I winced inwardly, I have a feeling I would be making the same expression if I weren't in so much shock at the moment. How the hell- Nanan and Me didn't even go to Partevia before this yet! How the hell does their commander know that I'm related to a magi?! Hell, how the hell did they find out that Yunan even _had _a daughter?!

"Do not lie to me, I have been fully aware of your status as the magi's daughter ever since I returned from the main palace," He said, his voice conceding as he crossed his arms "It doesn't help that you and your father stand out easily with your appearances. Furthermore, your own behavior towards he situation proves that you know more about the dangers than most children your age,"

I paled considerably, an effect I didn't think was possible anymore due to my already pale skin. My appearance? Sure, I get that my personality might set people of because of how young I was, and my hair and eye combination stand out pretty easily around here, but how the hell did they know what I looked like in the first place?! Nanan and I never stayed in one country for too long to catch any unwanted attention from the pala-

If my face had any form of color left in my skin, it was long gone now.

"…Kou Empire…," I managed to get out in a choke. Right…the Kou Empire had captured Nanan and I because Nanan accidentally kidnapped their youngest prince. Not only had Nanan revealed himself to be one of the magi, but it had also revealed that said magi had a daughter…me.

The attempted kidnap of the youngest child of the Ren family…no matter how silly it had been in real life, it was still a pretty big deal and something that wasn't easily covered up, especially when the perpetrator had been a magi, of course it would to other countries. Not only that, I also stayed in the royal palace for half a year, it was more than enough time for more than one person to get a glimpse of me…

Agh, to think one mistake is causing me such a dramatic headache, in a dungeon of all places.

I sighed.

"Who did I piss off in my past life to deserve this?" I muttered to myself in a defeated fashion, through I knew for a fact that Drakon could hear every word of it "I give up, this is just giving me a headache. To be fair though, I wasn't really trying to hide it. I honestly hadn't expected anyone to know," I looked up at the boy in confusion. "How did your people find out about what I looked like anyways? Or is that classified information?"

Drakon shook his curtly "My Father accompanied the king once during a meeting with the Emperor and his brother to discuss something. Although you did not meet personally, he had gotten a glimpse of you in the royal archives and was further informed by the servants of your identity," I furrowed my eyebrows at this. Right, I think I remembered hearing something about a kings' conference or something, but I honestly had no interest on the manner and secluded myself in the archives as to not get in the way. I was too focused on reading their medical journals to notice anyone really.

Huh, who knew that one of the people there was actually Drakon's father? I should have paid more attention to the conference then. I mean – I barely know anything about the guy. Now that I think about it, I barely know anything concerning father figures in magi. Parents in general don't seem to show up at all unless it's to further their child's character development, other than that, their just background props.

Oh well, what's past is the past. Besides, the people I met afterwards threw me completely off track. There was no way I could have identified anyone else after meeting them that day.

"I see…," I trailed off; hopefully this piece of information wouldn't mean that I won't get the chance to live a normal life or anything. Like say, Al Themen?

"Now it's my turn to do some questioning,"

I blinked, and looked back towards Drakon "huh?"

The green haired soldier looked down on me blankly "For now, I will believe in your reasoning that you were thrown in without your consent, as you seem truly reluctant to do anything aside from survive. However, that doesn't equate to why you were even in the island, with that commoner no less," I felt sweat drip from my cheek at the sheer intensity that guy's gaze had. "Does it have something to do with how that commoner found out about the power in this dungeon and why, despite living right next to it, he only thought of getting it now of all times?" _When a magi was conveniently in the same village? _hung in the air.

Oh shit, this is an interrogation, isn't it? I'm being fucking interrogated.

"Why is it that the expatriate is here in the dungeon, trying to obtain something he should have little knowledge of despite the obvious danger? And what does it have to do with you?" The commander narrowed his eyes "I will not tolerate anything aside from the truth, so you'd better think carefully about what you're about to say next,"

I felt the comings of a groan in my throat, before forcing it down. All this talk about the magi is making me feel tired all of a sudden; I still haven't decided on what to think of Nanan's actions yet, just the mention of my parent is leaving me in a confused mess of questions that I _really don't feel like going over at it at the moment_.

Sooo…to lie or not to lie?

I grimaced. I don't really trust Drakon with any information really. Not that I don't like that guy, but he and I are really just complete strangers to each other. There's no telling what they might do if I told them that Sinbad was probably chosen by a magi, meaning might have a literal war house at his side. They were already desperate to capture the man when they found out he had the 'treasure' they were killing for, what more would they do if they come to the conclusion that a freakin' magi is on his side?

The most plausible scenario would be Drakon telling the royals about it and becoming even more desperate to capture him before he became too powerful for them to handle. I wonder…would they go so far as to take Toran village into hostage to bring him back here? …No, that would be stupid. It would certainly look bad for their image if they attacked their own villagers…but on the other hand, they could easily report them as expatriates with just how they treated Drakon and his men in the village. With no male workforce and a dwindling economy, could it really be called impossible that they could simply label the villagers as expatriates and put them under surveillance?

It could happen, especially since Drakon is still more loyal to the royal family than to Sinbad.

_Anything could happen, I of all people know that._

So…don't tell the truth then…let's see…

"My dad told him," I said to the commander, all the while trying to put as much truth as possible. "About what kind of power was in the dungeon I mean,"

Dragon's eyes narrowed, and I did my hardest to _not _flinch, it was harder than I thought "Why?"

_Well he's quick to the questions _I thought wearily. "Well he _did _heard you talk about it when you guys met, he was probably curious about what the heck you were sending men in for," Well that technically _wasn't _a lie, Sinbad did look slightly interested on it, but not that much. He was more worried about his own predicament then "Nanan likes telling people about things they don't know, he's not the kind to hold out information if they're really curious. So it kinda just…slipped out? I don't really know, even I get confused by his shenanigans sometimes," _That _was 100% true…in my opinion

The boy's eyebrow seemed to raise at this, before giving a sigh of his own. "Is that really just it?"

Internally, I was freaking out. Am I sweating bullets? I think I'm sweating bullets. God, I hope I'm not sweating bullets. On the outside though, I took it to myself to look at him with an innocently confused expression "Well…yeah, I guess? Nothing more to it, I think,"

I blinked to myself when, for the first time since I've seen him in this dungeon, he took a deep breath and combed his hair backwards in an expression of disbelief as his other hand tightened on his sword, his face was pale as a sheet and his breathing revealed just how tired he was.

"If that is the case, I must thank your father for what he did," He said as I stayed silent, mostly out of confusion. He doesn't even look like he was talking to me anymore, it was as if he was looking at something else, something he'd rather not see again "If he had not coerced the boy to entering the dungeon…he wouldn't…and I…would have-,"

_-died_

…oh

I felt like a mound of bricks crushed my lungs, not even caring anymore of the boy's rare slip of the tongue, or why his image broke now of all times. I was under the impression that Drakon and Sinbad weren't afraid of the monsters in this hellhole. I mean, they had fought so many of them and won so easily. But was that really the case? Sinbad…he thought of this place as an adventure, an unknown realm that he could explore and conquer. But for Drakon…this had been a suicide mission, hadn't it? Even with his own determination, he knew that there was a high chance that he would die like every other soldier before him.

And…he was scared…and very worn out

I would be too, if I was given a mission by my own family to go into a dungeon with only the minimal amount of soldiers – who weren't even properly trained mind you – and knowing full well that It would most likely fail like all the others. Yet still forcing it all down because of something called the "pride of a soldier"

And perhaps he _did _believe in that pride. But no amount of belief can stop a person's fear of death, Especially after seeing the swift deaths of his own army in the hands of creatures beyond his expertise.

_Or maybe I'm just over thinking this and he really is just like in the manga _I thought. To my side, the Rukh fluttered patiently.

"…Shouldn't you be thanking the idiot instead? He was the one who saved you after all," I said, directing my thoughts away from the subject, nothing good comes from jumping to conclusions anyways. To my relief, Drakon had already regained his posture by the time I spoke, and even had the gall to sneer at the thought "As if I would ever owe my life to an expatriate, don't speak such worthless drivel," I did my best not to roll my eyes at this. What a prat.

"If that's the case, you can just call it even," I said, turning around again and started walking, Drakon followed suit "Since you kept the monsters away from me and all. I'd like to think that it's an equivalent exchange,"

Drakon seemed to frown at my statement, and I knew I was in for a snob fest.

"Now who said I owed anything? I am thankful, yes, but It wasn't as if your father had specifically made that expatriate enter the dungeon to save me." I felt sweat drop from my forehead to my cheek as a flush of embarrassment fought to creep on my face. Agh, me and my big mouth, I hate being talked down to-

"-Moreover, I did not keep the monsters away from you, they themselves make an effort not to harm you,"

…huh?

I turned back towards the commander, my frown now as straight as a line "I beg your pardon?"

Drakon paused "I see, so you were not aware?"

"Aware of what?" I spoke, my voice cracking as his previous statement slowly but surely sunk in. What the fu-

"From what I observed. No monster in this dungeon had even aimed to attack you, not once," Drakon said, in a matter of factually tone "They would immediately pass you and direct their fangs at us. Even when you were right beside one, they did not touch you. This is the main reason why I confirmed your identity as the same girl father saw in the Kou Empire,"

I blinked, what? WHAT? HUH? When did a monster get near me- waitwaitwait. no. that's not the problem here. The problem is this absurd observation Drakon had! What the hell does he mean by "monsters not attacking me"?! That absurd-

"_**Your safe here," **_

"_**Your safe here, he knows that too," **_

"_**Just see for yourself, you are protected here,"**_

"Hey wai-," I started

"Shirin! Drakon!" I jumped when an irritatingly familiar voice boomed; Drakon looked less than pleased as well when the figure of a boy with purple hair came to view. I myself felt a tick appear at the sight. Gah. If looks could kill, Sinbad would have been in his grave with the amount of irritation I was pouring out. What the fuck Sinbad?! Of all the fucking times?! Holy Fu- "I found the door, hurry up already!"

I twitched in irritation, but sighed, noticing that Drakon had definitely picked up the pace as to not lose to Sinbad. Guess my questioning would have to be on another day. Picking up the pace myself, I followed the two boys – Or are they actually men now? Their so young though – to what appeared to be an incredibly large door, wide and open for all to see what lied inside it.

It was breathtaking

* * *

**? – 1****st**** Dungeon Baal – Unknown**

"Holy cow…," I murmured to myself, my eyes wide at the sight before me.

Beyond the large and imposing door was a large circular room, spanning what I could imagine as six soccer fields worth in terms of length and three – or perhaps maybe even four – skyscrapers in terms of height. Inside this room was a large city of almost entirely made out of stone. The houses – the usual stone squares buildings with the occasional tower structures that you mostly see in the more rural towns of Partevia and in all Toran villages – were perched diagonally on top of one another, making the whole room look like a gigantic bowl. In the center of the room – right in front of us in fact – was a tall, octagonal, tower bearing what I thought were designs that looked like they came from the _Notre Dame de Paris_ stretching all the way to what I presume was the room of the building. For a moment, I could only stare at the now empty place that was once home to this world's first humans, wondering just what they were thinking during the times before Ugo's idea.

Such a shame that they had to abandon such a beautiful underground city.

"We made it!" Sinbad said, his voice slightly strained from having to run all the way here, Drakon looked just as tired. Heck, even I was tired from all the running. "This is the innermost part of the dungeon!" Turning towards his reluctant partner in crime, he gave a smirk.

"Heh, don't you look too pale?" He said in a snarky manner, but there was no malice in it, and it became more of a playful jab "Still afraid?"

Drakon did not smirk, but with the dungeon right in front of him and his own pride already wearing down in the edges due to exhaustion, a hint of the same snarkiness Sinbad threw on him reflected on his tone. He suddenly sounded like such a kid "We've come this far and you still talk nonsense. Make your wisecracks after catching your breath,"

I blinked and watched as the two boys began quarreling in a childlike manner. with Sinbad pointing out Drakon's shaky legs (Ignoring too that he also had equally shaky legs) while Drakon complained how it was because Sinbad ran around the place like some mindless maniac or something (Ignoring the he didn't know where to go either), before starting another quarrel. I decided to sit this one out, since I knew that there wasn't real malice and I was also too damn tired to care about that. Besides, I'm not really needed in this scenario. What I need to worry about is what comes after.

Like say, when Nanan comes…

"_**Please believe that he loves you,"**_

I stared ahead towards the large building, knowing full well that it was the way out and into the world where I was thrown in. I mentally sighed to myself before running my fingers through the bangs of my hair, the Rukh encircling the abandoned area in a way that almost looked like a person looking around an area they had been in so long ago.

"_Being alone…when you need someone by your side…is very painful, and Nanan doesn't want you to experience that,"_

…

I closed my eyes for a moment. Trying to remember that exact moment when Nanan said that line and remembering home safe I felt when I was with him. It's painful to doubt someone you should trust with your life and expect to still believe in them even after all this…But…

I'll believe in him for now…if only because I don't want to think of the alternative…

Now that that's out of the picture for now…A lot of things aren't making sense to me. First Nanan throws me into a deathtrap without so much as a by your leave, but then both Sinbad and the Rukh were adamant on the idea that Nanan did that for my own sake, with the Rukh making it sound like there was something dangerous in the magi world that couldn't follow me in a dungeon. Then there was the fact – and yes, now that I look back, it is definitely a fact – that dungeon monsters seemed to ignore my presence and don't even bother to attack me at all, which if I recall from the manga, a privilege not even the magi had.

Seriously, what the fuck is going on here? Why isn't anything making sense at the moment? If it is true that Nanan didn't send me here todie,but instead, wanted to protect me, what was he protecting me from? And why couldn't he protect me himself?

And…why didn't he just tell me in the first place so that I would understand…?

"…_**I'm sorry," "I'm sorry you had to go through that," "It wasn't my intention to make you believe that you were abandoned,"**_

Huh? The Ruk-

"What are you doing still standing there? Hurry up," I turned to see Drakon glance at me before following the exited Sinbad towards the central building. I glanced at the Rukh who were fluttering silently beside me before shrugging it off as my imagination. For a moment there, I thought I saw something beneath the glow of the birds.

_Thinking about it now won't change anything _I thought _I just need to talk to Nanan, and in order to do that, I need to get out of here_

_I am not going to live my life plagued with questions goddammit. I am going to get answers. And I am hell bent on making sure those answers make sense._

I ran forward. Even then, though, my mind was still plagued with the questions and insecurities that held me down even now.

* * *

**I feel like this chapter in its entirety is just cringe worthy. The second scene in particular was just god awful to write because **_**I don't know how to write drama without making it cringe worthy. **_**Everyone just feels so OOC in this chapter! With Sinbad and Drakon taking lead in OOC-ness! I will probably rewrite this one day, but for now, this the best I can give to portray a dark atmosphere. **

**Originally, the journey through the dungeon was **_**supposed**_** to be lighthearted, with a bit of dark here and there. But then I realized that dungeons really weren't just places that held dijnns like portrayed in the manga, you can seriously die in one, in a manner only seen in your wildest nightmares. Shirin, no matter how mentally old she was, is a **_**four year old**_** who came from a world where she never had to fight ****for her life. Even with Sinbad by her side, she was completely helpless in a death chamber, one that her own father threw her in without saying anything. It's no wonder that this fanfic is struggling to lighten things up.**

**(I want to go back to the light and fluffy sooo badly)**

**I doubt anyone's notice that Shirin's mind isn't really the most stable, and if they did, they would chalk it up as a personality trait. But there are a lot of things going on in the background and the hints on what's really happening is only going to get more obvious with hints of subtle. **

**Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to thank you for your review and omake suggestions! I…wasn't expecting the review count to go all the way to 132 from just one chapter, it…was a bit of a shock since I was expecting that it would just barely make 100 really. That's why I decided to give out two omakes instead of one, with one extra omake as an apology for missing this chapter's first anniversary! **

**Please be patient for the release of the omakes, it won't take **_**that **_**long.**

**Read and Review!**


	7. Backstage Tales

**Never. Again. This is the last time I'm going to do something like this. God, I honestly thought of scrapping this with how long it was taking me. This is why I should just stick with Omakes instead of plain side stories. If I do a side story, it ends up longer than some of my fanfics.**

**To be fair though, there is a lot of detail in this omake because it's canon to the plot. I really needed to thrown everything here now so that things wouldn't feel abrupt.**

**Now, let me tell you the summaries of the three side stories in this chapter:**

** story is set in the actual story line now (After Balbadd arc and just before Sinbad leaves to talk to the emperor of Kou), so there will be a lot of hints of what will happen to her and the others in the future. Be warned, it won't make sense because it's just one big teaser.**

** one is set on Shirin's time in the Kou Empire. Do you remember in the previous chapter when Shirin was talking about staying in the archives while a meeting is going on? This is that scene and more.**

** one is Leia's life pre-death. There are a few important factors here that would prove important to the story line.**

**With that out of the way, Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own magi, If I did, I wouldn't be fucking licensing it from mangafox.**

* * *

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Destiny's Play

Backstage Tales

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* * *

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**~Rare Regular Days~**

.

"Jafar! Wait a second!"

The advisor blinked at the sudden boom of sound coming from his left, before turning around and mentally sighing to himself when he saw the fuming woman walking towards him, holding what he knew to be a large bundle of scrolls. The albino's eyebrow twitched at the sight, for it looked eerily similar to the papers he had given his king just yesterday.

"Good Morning, Miss Shirin," He said placidly with a smile, already knowing the outcome of his morning. Shirin slowed her steps until she stopped right in front of him, their heights almost identical – with Shirin only being an inch shorter – had it not been for the the woman's head of black hair swishing around messily due to her long braid. The advisor felt a familiar tick at the sight of the hair, as he is always reminded of a person he'd rather not think about if only to prevent the woman in front of him knowing. That girl seems to know exactly what they were thinking when it came to the magi.

(And yet they could never seem to get her to say anything about it)

"Mornin' Jafar!" She said with a grin, and before Jafar could reprimand the girl for her bad habit of not speaking properly, he noticed something odd. He tilted his head to side to check behind the woman, before turning back towards her. For a moment, he was half expecting a head of hair to suddenly pop up from behind them like always with that pleasant, close-mouthed grin of his. But today, that man was nowhere to be found.

"Where is-," He began, before a free hand raised itself and Shirin looked at him.

"-Library," She cut in, already knowing who Jafar was referring to. After all, the two were rarely ever seen without each other. If only so that she doesn't cause to much damage by accident "I asked if he could guard my stuff while I'm gone, he'll probably get worried if I take too long though," She shrugged her shoulders "Worried that I get into a fight with someone while he's not watching that is,"

Jafar could not help but make a face at being cut in the middle of a question, but purged on nonetheless. It _was_, after all, rare to see the woman alone without her co-workers "And the other two?" He watched as Shirin began to smile wryly, before balancing the collection of scrolls in another arm.

"Business," She said simply, and the advisor nodded his head understandingly. It is most likely not something they could tell to just anyone, at the very least, he knew that it wasn't anything serious. Otherwise, Shirin would have left the country by now.

It would be troublesome if she had attempted to escape the country again.

"So about these scrolls…," Shirin started, a look of displeasure marring her face at the sight of them, if anything, Jafar knew that he had the same face on "…Why were they in the guest rooms? On my table to be exact?"

Jafar felt a tick begin to form; he subdued the urge to rub it in an irritated fashion "He must have… misplaced them," Shirin gave a snort at this.

"Who leaves their paperwork lying around in public eye by accident?" She said, looking rightfully annoyed by his king's behavior. Jafar let the insult towards his king slide though. While he normally does not appreciate insults towards the one he vowed his life to, he knew that Shirin would never really hate the man and simply insulted him because that was how they treated each other since they were children. Plus, no one close to Sin seemed to be bother by this, including Sin himself. It was _that _normal. "I'm sorry for being rude, but is that king of your getting dumber? Does he need treatment? Because I think a few whacks on the head with a bludgeon would do nicely, I'll even hit him myself free of charge if that helps,"

Idly, Jafar pondered on the numerous times in their adventures their king had hit his head. They were remarkably few now that he thought about it; perhaps he did need a whack on the head?

In the end however, he shook his head in a sullen fashion.

"I fear he would only get dumber,"

"Unfortunately so,"

There was a moment of silence between them before a puff of laughter escaped the advisor's lips and broke the damn of soft laughter for both of them. Truly, it was mornings like these that made his day despite the endless workload.

Now if only she would give in and just stay in Sindria instead of being forced to like now. That would certainly lessen the headache the situation always seems to bring.

* * *

"Sinbaka! Oi! Sinbaka! Where are you?!"

_Whack!_

"Ow! Hey!"

"How rude, you shouldn't be insulting your elders with such vulgar name calling Shirin, especially ones with political power," He said, smacking her lightly on the head with his free hand. Shirin grumbled but did nothing more, she knew how strong his slaps could be after all. "Sin is a king now, I thought you of all people already learned to pay your respects,"

"But that's tiring," She moaned childishly, holding onto half of the bundle of scrolls while Jafar carried the other "I can't always be serious, you know? Otherwise I'll be as old as that stupid king of yours-,"

"Hey, what did I say about people calling me old, huh?"

From the entrance to his room, Sinbad appeared. His smile was slightly strained at the thought of being called an elderly. Shirin began to laugh while Jafar let a twitch escape his lips at the look.

"That it's rude…even though it's true!" Shirin parroted childishly, the grin on her face never seemed to falter nowadays "Right? _Uncle~?_" Jafar watched in amusement as his king's face paled a few shades at the name the fourth magi had given him, so Shirin had been listening in to that moment?

"Shut up!"

"I'm sorry, did I upset _Uncle?" _She smiled widely, before giving a loud whistle "Man, and Aladdin was being polite. I only got a 'Miss' myself, you're the only one who got the 'Uncle' treatment,"

"It's not funny!"Sinbad retorted

"You know it is!" The girl laughed "It's funny cause it's true! Face it, Sinbaka, even a magi acknowledged your aging face. You're not helping by hiding your wrinkles with our treatment either!" The woman paused for moment, before the smile sprung up once more.

For a moment there, she looked deep in thought.

"Ha! Now that I think about it, you're like, ten years older than me, right? Maybe I should call you Uncle Sinbad from now on," Shirin's red eyes were wide with amusement, the rings in her irises contracting along with her pupil "How about it _Uncle_?"

Sinbad snapped "Is it you and your father's goal to make my life a living headache?!"

"Hey what the- Heyheyheyhey! Stop that! Not the hair! ACT YOUR AGE ALREADY!" Shirin squirmed violently like some wild animal as Sinbad childishly rubbed his knuckles on the woman's hair painfully. In the back of his mind, Jafar idly remembered Shirin calling this a…noogie.

_The girl makes the oddest of words _He thought as he watched the scene and shook his head. Truly, how can such mature people revert back to being children so naturally? Not that it wasn't pleasing to see an honest to Solomon grin on his king's face that held no darker undertones for once, but it still dumbfounds him.

"I'd prefer not to hear that from you of all people!" Sinbad said, a grin on his lips at gaining the upper hand,

"To be fair though," Jafar reasoned, breaking the moment so to not become an object the Shirin's wrath if it ever got too far, that woman did not like to be touched as much as people thought she did. Said woman immediately ran from Sinbad's grasp towards Jafar before using her free hand to mat her hair mournfully, all the while hissing at the amused King "You are turning 30, is this not the age where men are passed the age of youth?"

"You even look older than Nanan! And you know how old he is!" She shot from behind Jafar, who's faced twitched slightly in amusement.

Sinbad frowned at the gang up, and sighed. "Okay, what did I do this time? You two only gang up on me when I do something you think is stupid," From beside him, Shirin gave a snort and muttered something under her breath before leaving her place from behind Jafar's back. Jafar himself opened his mouth to explain.

"It would seem as you have…accidentally left the scrolls I had given you to sign in the Green Sagittarius tower, particularly in Miss Shirin's desk," The advisor said with a smile, through instead of brightening his mood, it only made Sinbad's skin pale a few shades. The man laughed to himself, doing his hardest not to look at his advisor and guest in the eye as he rubbed the back of his head.

"O-Oh? You don't say…," The king's smile seemed to waver ever so slightly at the glares he was being given, before recomposing himself and making his face look apologetic, through it seemed as it didn't work of Shirin since she only scoffed at the sight "My bad, that was an accident, honestly,"

"…Ahuh," Shirin eyed the king distrustfully, her arms crossed over her chest in disapproval "Riiight. I would totally believe that after you did the same thing three times already with my workers. I'm not stupid Sinbaka. Pardon my language, but in terms of bullshitting, I'm positive I outrank you by a hundred,"

Jafar smiled. He could see the irony in that.

"It's true!" Sinbad said, looking earnest, but the woman only scoffed "Come on, you got to believe me. I would never do something as stupid as that," He looked directly at the woman's eyes, as if this action would show her how earnest he was. Shirin, however, did not back down. The two stared at each other for a moment, neither willing to give in and Jafar only watched as the atmosphere around them seem to tense during their silent conversation.

_It always like this _Jafar thought as he watched the two. Despite his King being significantly taller than her, there was no doubt in his mind that at that moment, Shirin and Sinbad were on even ground. They often were, after all.

Jafar could never do that, he could never reach high enough to be in the same platform as his king, and being a household, he never will.

"It's not so that I would do it by accident so you wouldn't have to do it? Is it?" She frowned, and it would take a highly skilled eye to see the split second flinch his king had before it vanished under his confident aura. Unfortunately for his king, the one person who could see it turned out to be the one standing right in front of him. "After all, my signature is also valid when it come to _those _types of paperwork,"

"Of course not!" His King exclaimed, before adding "I would never do that to a guest!" Shirin only rolled her eyes at the scene unimpressed.

"Drop the act, Sinbad. Don't think I forgave you for what you did to my subordinate," Jafar watched as the woman stared at Sin with deadpan eyes, before seeing them visibly sharpen into slits. The advisor twitched at the sight, it looked much too similar to the high priest, and from how rigid his king was. He knew Sinbad saw that too, adding to the fact that she had used his full name instead of that affectionate moniker meant that she was no longer playing.

"Look, I get your busy, being a king and what not, but I'm busy too!" She exclaimed, the bags under her eyes barely visible due to her wearing purple makeup on her eyes "Not only do I have my own papers to sign, I still need to talk to that man about what happened in his country and how this would affect our contract, check on those two countries that are preparing for a war, AND do something about this unreasonable house arrest all the while making sure my business doesn't fall due to _your_ accusations! To be vulgar, I don't have time for your shit!"

Sinbad seemed to wince inwardly at the mention of the charges he had pressed onto her to prevent her from leaving the country. While they had settle their differences about it in both involved countries, the news still spread to other countries, thus staining the business' image, if only slightly.

The advisor looked back to the woman, who was not finished talking.

"I get that you get too much paperwork to do with all you meetings and what not!" She exclaimed "But it comes with the job. You're the one that made your country so damn complicated with its mixed traditions and cultures all cramped up in a tiny island. Just because I'm willing to help in some of your paperwork doesn't mean you can conspicuously give me more. You made that bed, so you lie on it, capiche!?"

Despite all that, however, Sinbad refused to back down.

"Wai- Ow! Jafar!"

"He understands, Miss Shirin. I promise it won't happen again," Jafar said, retreating the foot he used step on his king's toe faster than it took to get beside him. Sinbad made a face at being cut and Shirin, after a few moments of suspicion, broke into a smile.

She was rather bipolar like that.

"I'll take your word on it then," She said in good nature, before adding in a joking manner "What a reliable advisor you have Sin, makes me want to steal him for my own. He'd be useful in our merchant division,"

The look on the man's face showed just how confused he was on whether or not to laugh or to scowl in this situation, through it had noticeably relaxed once the woman started using nicknames again "There will be no stealing of advisors in my kingdom. And no 'talking them into joining' business either. Know your boundaries for once, kiddo,"

"Ha! Says the guy that used a half-baked political excuse to keep me and the others here despite not being native Sindrians," She spat back at him, and the only sign that it affected the king was a mere twitch of an eyebrow "Now where do you put these scrolls? They are numbing by arms,"

"Over here will do," The advisor smiled as he showed her where he put his pile. Shirin nodded gratefully before coming over and putting down the scrolls with a thump. Looking at the pile of papers and scrolls on the man's desk, she gave a whistle.

"Wao. I haven't seen a pile this tall in a while! No wonder you resorted to throwing some away,"

"I said I didn't do it on purpose!"

Shirin laughed for a moment, her eyes accidentally skimming through one of the papers. Soon enough, she began to frown "…Why is there paperwork for property damage? And in such a large sum… Is something going on that I should know? If there were any serious casualties that were not reported…," Hearing the tone of her voice, the king and advisor looked at each other before pacing towards her. The king examined the papers for a moment to get a better grasp in the issue.

After a moment, Jafar watched as his king shook his head "I assure you that it is not the case. A few hoodlums merely did things they shouldn't have without anyone noticing, something about a riot concerning the lack of space this country has." The advisor raised an eyebrow when he realized that his king left out the fact that the riot itself started due to a certain company taking the grounds they illegally called homes, but he chose not to say this. Seeing as the frown in the woman's face had yet to cease, Sinbad added "They were all captured and detained shortly after the incident before any casualties could occur,"

A pause, and the woman began to smile again

"Oh, is that all?" Shirin muttered as she lowered the scroll back to the pile, through the twitch that flashed on her faced proved that she saw through that lie. "If that's the case, you can always squeeze in more space from your eastern Island. Through you may have to investigate whether this group is part of a larger one. Your country is too compact after all, one wrong move and it can spread throughout your kingdom like wildfire,"

"Were getting to that," The king curtly said to the woman "I've already sent someone to investigate and search for anyone that may have been helping this group. Right, Jafar?" Jafar watched with a smile as both the woman and the king turned back towards him, before nodding his head and answering.

"Rest assured that something like this will not happen again," He said to them, watching as Shirin seemed to relax at his confidence and gave him a smile similar to the one engraved on his king's face.

"I'll take it by your word then," She repeated before putting down the scroll and stretching her arms a bit "Now that that's out of the way though…,"

The smile on Sinbad's face disappeared

"You want me to do something, don't you?"

"Oh dear! Whatever made you think of that?" Shirin said with fake politeness. She dropped the act soon after as she gave him a smile "Oh don't worry! I'm not gonna make you do anything strenuous like last time. Besides, you owe me for returning these scrolls,"

The king did not look convinced

"Please Sinbad?" Shirin asked "It's for research purposes! I promise! It might even help the economy one day!" The King's face stayed motionless for a few seconds before giving in.

"…Fine," The king sighed "As long as it's within reason, of course,"

The woman smiled and leaned close, motioning for the man to lean as well. Sinbad rolled his eyes at this before leaning down and lending his ear to her request. Jafar raised an eyebrow at this odd form of communication but chose not to think too deeply into it. It could be that the research she spoke off was not meant for people of his status to hear. The advisor coincided with the fact that, if it were truly important, then his king would relay it to him, until then, whatever she was saying must not be heard by other people.

…

Through, the face his king was making at the request made him want to know more about it too.

"_What?" _

"Oh c'mon, please?"

"No!"

Sinbad backed away, disturbed greatly at whatever the Shirin wanted him to do. The woman scowled at this.

"Hey! What's with that face?! What are you, a wimp?!" She said "It'll be fine! I promise!"

"I said no!" Jafar blinked when Sinbad all but looked like he wanted to hide behind him, through kingly pride took over "Can't you ask for something else?!"

Jafar looked and Shirin and then too his king, confused out of his mind.

What was going on?

"It'll grow back! I swear!" She cajoled, pacing towards him and his king with breathtaking speed and…taking out a knife?! "Now could you just-,"

"Get away from me, you creepy scientist!" Sinbad panicked in a way that was unlike him "There is a fine line on how far you can experiment you know!" Shirin came closer, and awkwardly, Jafar raised his arm to block her from reaching Sinbad. Was this an assassination attempt? If so, this was certainly the strangest one he had ever witnessed.

Shirin paused and frowned "Jafar, please move," From behind him, Sinbad crossed his arms and looked down on her, making Shirin's line of sight raise to meet him. Jafar did what he could not to shift uncomfortably; being in the middle of these two was not an ideal situation for an assassin or an advisor.

"The answer is still no, Shirin," He said "Ask for something else instead," Shirin frowned at the man, through it looked more of a childish pout due to the lack of malice in it.

"…fine," she muttered, lowering the knife and tucking it back into its sheath, the familiar symbol of the knife then glowed through the sheath as if there was nothing there obscuring it. Seeing this, Jafar lowered his arm and stepped back from his king, looking at the woman in confusion.

"What was that about?" He asked. Sinbad, who was busy looking relived that things went his way this time, looked at him and Shirin with an odd smile. Shirn stammered at his question though

"W-Well you see-,"

"-She wanted to cut off my tail,"

…

"…pardon?"

Shirin scowled at the king "You make it sound like I was going to cut it all off,"

Sinbad scoffed "Knowing you, you would have done that just to torture me,"

Wait…waitwaitwait. He was still confused here "W-what do you mean by that?" A tail? Cut off? What?

"Were talking about Baal's Djinn equip," Sinbad said, seeing the bewildered look of his advisor "Shirin here wanted to cut off a part of my tail to experiment on it,"

"You make it sound like I'm a mad scientist…," Shirin pouted. She crossed her arms sullenly "It would grow back you know. And neither you nor Baal would feel any pain from losing that tail either,"

"For the last time, I said No, Shirin," Sinbad sounded like he was scolding his own child with the tone he used "I happen to like my tail, thank you very much. So I would appreciate it if you would respect my wishes and let me keep it,"

"…hmp," Shirin turned away, through the glint in her eyes proved that she was not completely defeated "Fine...,"

Stepping up to meet her gaze, Jafar asked "Why do you need to cut off Baal's tail? Is this part of your research?" Shirin smiled and nodded, her eyes clouded slightly as she formulated her own thoughts "Why yes. You see, I wanted to experiment on a Djinn equip's ability to regenerate," Her smile widened and jafar braced himself for the lecture he knew was coming.

"Haven't you ever wondered why a metal vessel wielder can get grievously injured while in Djinn equip, yet the extra appendages that come with the transformation remains mostly unscratched?" She said, her eyes twinkling in fascination as she spoke of her current study "Dijnn equip occurs when the Djinn's King and the Djinn itself merges their magoi together and create a new form that is best suited to fully capitalize the Djinn's powers and the King's fighting capability. This is the reason why – despite being said to have merged with the Djinn – King Vessels still look humanoid, because that is the form they are more familiar with, and thus, would make it easier for them to fight. You can compare this with putting parts of different colored glass over another piece of glass. The Dijnn is merely adding to what is already there instead of changing it,"

"Knowing that, why is it that many of the Djinn Equips today bare forms with extra limbs – such as wings and horns?" Jafar watched as she continued her lecture, to his right, he found that his king was looking awfully bored "While I was in the Kou Empire, I decided to investigate this,"

_Twitch_

Jafar fought the frown that wished to appear on his face at the country's name, his king, however, made no show to hide it. It would seem as both of them were still bitter of the incident that occurred in that country. Looking back to the woman, however, he found that she was completely unperturbed from the mention. It would seem as she had gotten over it.

Odd, seeing as she was the main victim of that incident.

"What I discovered not only brought many things to light about Djinn Equips, but also became a key element to another research the one who aided me was conducting," Shirin continued her lecture "As it turns out, those appendages are actually where the Djinn stores their half of the magoi! Gois as we are, we do not have the capacity to hold the large amount of magoi our djinns possess, especially if said Djinn is powerful in their own right! That is why, instead of letting the excess magoi go to waste, they take the form of inhuman limbs and stores the magoi for the time being! Compared to the other parts of the body, these extra appendages heal faster, it's because they can simply regenerate their cells with the magic stored inside them!"

Shirin seemed to pause at that, taking a deep breath which she looked like she really did need. She looked noticeably refreshed.

"So?" She said with a smile "What do you think?'

…what was he supposed to think about at that?

"…Is it wise to tell us this information?" Sinbad spoke with a frown, and Jafar immediately knew that this was _not _the right thing to say "I would think that information like that wouldn't be something to give around as party favors," Shirin's smile seemed to deflate at the King's cold logic. Before long, her smile turned into a frown.

"As if you didn't already know from the papers you confiscated from us," She said with a hint of spite, and Jafar could feel his king twitch from beside him. The woman soon shrugged offhandedly "It doesn't matter anyhow. Both my speech and the papers you confiscated only had the surface details, the true discoveries we found in our research are still with- oh you already know who," Her voice was noticeably sour as she spoke, as if she was disgusted by how much his king knew about that particular time in the Kou Empire. Usually, when it came to situations concerning his king's horrible habit of peeking on other people's conversations, Jafar would side against his king. This was an exception, however.

After all, they were talking about research done in their rival country concerning Djinn Equip, with the head of this research being their childhood companion and none other than the second prince of the Kou Empire no less.

Sinbad's eyes seemed to narrow at this accusation, arms folded as he and the woman once again commence their heated glaring contest. The advisor's shoulders seemed to slump at this. If this keeps up, neither of them will get any work done before the sun reaches its peak. He also has things to do after all! Plus, that man would be wondering why Shirin has not come back yet and would get worried. It is best to end this now before the situation gets out of hand. With that, Jafar clapped his hands twice, snapping the two out of their contest and bringing all the attention back to him.

Jafar coughed once to clear his throat, before looking at both of them impatiently.

"I apologize for cutting in, but I believe we should suspend this conversation for another time," He said politely to the two humans who bore more power than he would ever gain under a king "There is still much to be done, we have yet to prepare for our departure for the Kou Empire after all,"

Shirin frowned slightly at the reminder that Sinbad would be going to the Kou Empire "…right," She grumbled, her mood dropping even more. Jafar could only smile apologetically at her. Shirin had wanted to accompany Sinbad to the country after all, if only to check on the place and assure the people there that – yes, she did not die from that incident. But Sinbad refused, causing them to have a heated argument that could have escalated into something worse had Alibaba not reacted sooner to stop it. "That's a thing, isn't it?"

Sinbad seemed to see this too, but said nothing. It would seem as he still refuses to apologize for this situation.

"Again, on behalf of my king and his followers, I apologize for doing this to you and your men," Jafar said, but Shirin only waved it off with a sigh and a smile too forced to be genuine.

"It doesn't matter anymore," She said offhandedly "It was rude of me to ask a king like that so rudely after all. I have other things to do anyways," Her words were light and polite; there was no hint of the malice that she previously held due to the situation. Sinbad knew, however, that it did not mean that the malice had disappeared.

"Don't think of escaping either, it's not like Jafar would be leaving with me after all," He said casually, expecting the woman to flinch at being caught in the act of scheming, and was pleasantly surprised when she just turned towards him and gave him a face that made him feel like an idiot.

"You make it sound like I was stupid enough to think that would be the case, Sinbaka," She said, once again using the affectionate moniker she gave him since Day 1. Sinbad could not help but relax as the woman stretched her arms and turned away from him.

"Well, I'll be off now," She said, turning towards the advisor and giving him a smile "I got my own scrolls to sign after all,"

Jafar smiled back "Do be sure to get some rest once and a while. It's unfitting for a woman of your caliber to collapse from exhaustion," Shirin laughed, and Sinbad smiled.

"Duly noted!" She replied as she walked towards the doors exiting the king's study room. But before she fully reached the door, she stopped.

"Hey, Sin?" She spoke out, not turning back when saying this. Sinbad – who was in the process of being glared at by his advisor due to the stunt he pulled with the paperwork – looked up and raised an eyebrow

"Yes?" He asked. Shirin stayed silent for a moment before speaking up.

"Could you do me a favor…while you're at the Kou Empire?" His king paused at the mention of that country.

With a tone that hid his suspicions and questions, he asked again "What is it?"

A moment passed, and Shirin turned back slightly to meet the eyes of the people behind her and smiled

"Could you…check on Judar for me?" She said, already expecting the narrowed eyes of both the king and his advisor.

"Why is that?" Sinbad asked casually, though they all knew it was far from casual. This time though, Shirin shrugged, ad turned away.

"…He was really out of it back in Balbadd, The little magi did something that threw him completely out of whack," Shirin admitted "Honestly, I want to go there myself to check on him, but…you know how it goes,"

"You seem rather close to him," Sinbad observed, his eyes were beginning to narrow again, and Jafar knew that he and the king were both thinking the same thing about this relationship. Could it really be though? "What's your relationship with him exactly?"

Silence enveloped the room once more. It would seem as Shirin will no longer say anything more about the subject. The king saw this and sighed a breath that was long and suffering.

"…fine," He said, rubbing his head as if he had a headache "Consider my debt paid,"

"…Thanks…Sin," The woman said with her back facing them. Her shoulders visibly relaxed at the answer. Jafar watched as the woman left, turning back to his king only when the woman was no longer in hearing distance

"…Our suspicions appear to be correct," He said "Unfortunately,"

It was too obvious after all. Their hair, their eyes, their smile. It was all too similar to be coincidental. The only thing that prevented them from seeing the truth was pure and utter denial. No one wanted to admit it after all. But the facts were all too real to overlook now

"Dammit, Shirin," The king rubbed the back of his head, uncaring that he was using the rough language he was born with instead of the refined one he was made to use "Of all the guys to be related to. It had to be him,"

Fate…is comical like that.

* * *

**.**

**~Tales of Red and White~**

**.**

The soft thud of footsteps reached her ears, but she paid no mind to them. She was simply too focused on the parchment in front of her.

"_Uliquer balnada_? Is that some kind of replacement for peppermint?" A girl of four years old said to herself as she read through the article in the scroll. _Uliquer balnada_ – or if you want to use its informal name, sea fan - was a medicinal herb that is more commonly used as a cooking ingredient. It is said to be a hybrid mint of plant resembling a watermint and a plant resembling a spearmint. While it was known by some as a medical herb, it wasn't uncommon for people to harvest it for its oil of for their dinner. If it wasn't for the fact that the leaves of the _Uliquer balnada _were more fan shaped and were found near the oceanic regions where the salt substance was high, it would have been the exact copy of the _Mentha__piperita_, or the peppermint.

The child frowned at the description and looked at the picture drawn by the researcher thoroughly, unable to comprehend why two plants of completely different habitats shared similar backgrounds and usage. Normally, this would not have bothered her much and would have thrown it off as some unexplainable factor between two different dimensions. But with the older princes attending a meeting, the princess taking lessons, and the youngest prince being under the care of his mother, Shirin found that she must push her thoughts into doing something productive that in reality it has no actual meaning.

To put it simply, Shirin was bored out of her mind.

And what do you do when you're bored? You do useless things like ponder over a _plant_.

…

Oh, but she was thankful that the stalkers they assigned her with disappeared, since they weren't allowed in the royal archives in the first place.

"That can't be right…," The girl bit her lip "How can a plant that grows in the high salt content of seawater be similar to- their roots should have been too burned by the salt- ah, does it have something to do with their fan like shape? Perhaps…yes, that seems to be it," Wordlessly, she scribbled a note of thought onto her woven notebook, through unlike the more important things written in it; she wrote it in their native language. It was simply too bothersome to always code everything she wrote in the notebook after all, and she would do well to practice writing in the common language instead of Toran.

To her right, the footsteps that she heard earlier were getting closer. Shirin frowned when she realized that that footsteps were too soft to be an adults and were too frequent to be a single person. Had someone led children into the archives? Not everyone was allowed in the royal archives, usually only those of royalty can enter here. One who did not have royal blood can only enter it if they were given permission by the emperor. Shirin herself was only granted access to the archives as a form of apology for when one of the high nobles forcefully took away her necklace under the false impression that it held classified information. Even then, she had to prove that she wasn't like children her age and that she wouldn't vandalize the articles in the room (and then she had to prove that she wouldn't steal important documents like the noble accused her of doing. _Tha_t was a fun time…)

So who was in the room with her? There shouldn't be anyone-

"_Hey! Little Shi! I want to introduce you to some people after the meeting!"_

_**Thud**_

Shirin closed her notebook in a jolt and returned it to her necklace. Her eyes widening as realization took in. Without even thinking, she leaped off the chair soundlessly and hid behind the shelves, using the bulk of scrolls to hide most of her presence. There, she waited with bated breath.

_What the hell am I doing? _She though, but even that was muted as the footsteps she heard grew louder.

Soon enough, the footsteps stopped, right in front of the table she was just working in a few seconds ago. Shirin cursed mentally when she realized that she had forgotten to take the scrolls with her. Now it was obvious that there was a person apart from them in this room. Slowly, she crept closer to get a good look at the people in front of her desk.

It was two children with red hair…

…red…hair…

…

Fuck, it's really them, isn't it?

The girl grimaced, or should she be excited? Today was the day the King of the Partevian Empire (whose name was lost to her as usual) will visit the White palace for a meeting concerning things Shirin wasn't allowed to know or was not bothered to be informed off. Through from what the children of Kou had told her concerning the current affairs of said country, it wouldn't be so much of a large leap to think that the meeting would concern the dungeon that had suddenly appeared between the borders of Reim and Partevia. After all, aside from their enemy, the Kou Empire was the only one that had a magi. It's no wonder that they would seek information from them in the form of a meeting. What puzzled the child, however, was the fact that they also included the king's brother: Koutoku Ren, into the meeting, as well as his eldest sons.

Shirin settled with grimacing when the younger of the two picked up the scroll curiously as the older of the two looked around the area. The two children who had entered the archives were obviously the famous Kouen and Koumei, if their hair and upbringing didn't already spell it out. It was a blessing in the form of a catastrophe when she found out from Hakuren that the two would also be attending the meeting prior to their visit though, screaming profanities in front of them in shock would not have been an ideal image. She felt rather flighty looking at two important characters from the manga after all, since the only other people she knew were Yunan and Judar…

…wait…does that mean the meeting's over? Wouldn't that mean-

"What are you doing over there, Shirin?" A hand clasped on her shoulder.

"_Jesus Harold Fucking Christ!" _She gasped out loud in English, jumping in shock before accidentally sending the scrolls covering her from sight toppling down. She looked up to the perpetrator of her fright, and found the mildly surprised Hakuyuu Ren and the greatly entertained Hakuren Ren "W-What the hell?!"

"…My apologies for that," Hakuyuu said, a hint of surprise was still on his face "I had forgotten that our footsteps were not the easiest to hear at times. Through, that phrase you just said…what language is it from? I've never heard anything like it," I huffed in annoyance, through it was mostly because I had nothing to say about the matter.

"Sounded like a class-A swearword to me," Hakuren added, and she felt prickles at the back of her neck when his eyes strayed from her and focused of something – or a pair of some ones – behind her "Don't think we've ever heard something like that before though, right, En? Mei?"

Shirin debated whether to turn around or not to meet the two children behind her, but found that her own feet were locked into place "I've never heard of it either," A young but interested voice said from behind her, sending the child shivers down her spine because _holy shit _the guys that became so important in the manga was _fucking right behind her._

Fuck her life, she should've just stayed in her room, forget plants. She needs her sanity back.

"Could it be a language known solely by the magi?" A younger voice piped, and she grimaced when a second of silence came over them. They wanted her to reply? She sighed and turned around slightly, rubbing the back of her head in an excuse to not look them in the eyes at the moment; she needed to regain her posture.

In front of her were a young Kouen and Koumei. Through for obvious reasons, they were older than her.

"…If it was, then your magi would have already told it to you," She said in a manner of fact tone, finally looking up to the two younger princes in front of her, they were both older than her "It's something I would rather keep to myself really," she paused, then added "Sorry if that sounded rude,"

From behind her, Hakuren whistled "Is little Shi _apologizing_? Brother, I think our guest's been brainwashed," She turned back towards the man to retaliate, only to find that Hakuyuu had already smacked him in the head lightly.

"I told you not to be rude. Now she won't be polite anymore," He said, giving him a look much too similar to their father's to be a coincidence. Shirin stared at the expression for a moment before shrugging, it was said that he bore resemblance to that man. Slowly, her nerves began calming down…

Before she realized it, the boy behind her spoke up.

* * *

"Is this the girl you talked about, Yuu nii-sama? Ren nii-sama?" The younger of the two spoke up. He looked at the child's back curiously; connecting her with the mound of complicated scrolls perched on top of the table in disarray they found when they arrived with their elder cousins to meet the magi's daughter in the royal archives.

Despite already knowing from his elder cousins that the one known as the magi's daughter was young, he could not contain his surprise when he found that she looked barely four years old. It was rare to find someone else aside from him who was knowable at such a young age. Inwardly, he frowned. Him, he understood. He and his brother were already part of the wars due to their father's insistence at such a young age, circumstances such as that would make any fledgling grow fast. But her? Unless this was a trait that was possessed by all children of a magi, her maturity was just odd.

_But still, why did she hide when they arrived? _He thought, sharing a glance at his war-hardened brother before turning back to the three in front of them _And why does she look so uncomfortable with meeting us? Surely Yuu nii-sama and Ren nii-sama told her about us…_

They haven't even introduced themselves to each other and already, warning bells were ringing in his head.

Hakuyuu smiled down at them, before nodding his head in confirmation "She is," He said, placing a hand on the child's tensed shoulder to ease her "Shirin, these two are the ones we told you about. Kouen, Koumei, this is Shirin, a guest of our Father," The girl, now known to them as Shirin, turned towards them with a frown, and Koumei blinked.

She looked exactly like the royal oracle.

(This was not a coincide, he must take note of this factor and-)

"It is a pleasure to meet you," His older brother said, causing Koumei to follow suit. Looking up to both his brother and cousins however, he knew that they saw the resemblance as well. Through seeing as their older cousins are not elaboration on this fact meant that it was not a topic that was best suited for the current situation.

The girl seemed to fumble at the greeting, looking panicked for a second before schooling her features and replying with "The pleasure is all mine," Hakuren frowned, calculating eyes darting towards her tensed shoulders and his brother, before a large grin plastered itself on his face and he leaned forward.

"What's got you strung up this time, little Shi?" He asked, causing the child to jump and turn around, giving a surprisingly heated glare at the carefree-like man. The man's smile only widened at this "Oh! Could it be that you're fumbling because of how attractive they are? How cute!" Koumei blanched and Kouen raised an eyebrow at the obvious tease the man was giving. Beside Hakuren, his brother looked bemused.

Sharing the younger Kou's expression, Shirin blanched "Dude, that's disturbing. I'm _four_," Hakuren laughed at the girl's expression, and Koumei found that he had to pity the girl for becoming a play thing for his older cousin. He and his brother soon turned to their other older cousin, who was looking at the two wryly.

"Where is Hakuei-sama?" His brother asked. Hakuyuu seemed to smile at this before shaking his head remorsefully "She is busy with her lessons today. But she wishes me to tell you that she regrets not coming to meet you two personally,"

Koumei smiled at this, as did his brother. Hakuei-sama was a very nice person to be around. She shared her father's strong will and ambitions, but would always temper them with the kindness and wisdom of a maiden. It was for this reason that the emperor allowed Hakuei to involve herself in some of the military assignments as well as healing the soldiers who returned despite her status as a child and as a woman. Her being there to wipe off the blood in their hands and give them such understanding expressions when men much older than her would sometimes flinch in fright at the monstrous sight was like a single oasis in the vast desert. He, his brother, and his older cousins, highly respect her for this.

On the downside, due to her involvement in the war, she didn't have the time to learn the mundane skills of sewing and cooking that all girls her age should know, thus, her lack of skill in it.

Still, she is working hard to catch up. Perhaps in several years or so she will be able to cook something edible.

"How is Koutoku-sama? Has he been well?" Hakuyuu asked "Father has been worried over him lately, you see,"

"…Father is fine," Koumei answered when it was clear that Kouen's attention has wandered away to the two others still arguing in front of them. With heavy eyes, however, he turned back to his eldest brother and fought the frown on his face "…He has become…easily angered lately, however. And has become more secluded than usual,"

Calculating eyes shone from the shadowed face of the one next in throne, and Koumei could only find himself to forgive the distrust meticulously hidden in his face despite it being directed to his own father. It was a closely guarded fact within the royal family that – even now – his father was still fighting with their eldest cousin over the throne. Hakuyuu is a kind man, but he is also righteous and strict. Even if it meant jeopardizing his and his brother's positions, should his father go too far in his quest to gain the throne, he will enact punishment.

(He was not religious, but he prays that such a day would never come)

"…I see," Hakuyuu closed his eyes for a moment "Thank you for telling me, Koumei,"

"It is my deepest pleasure to have been of help to you, Hakuyuu nii-sama," He said politely, and Hakuyuu smiled at his formal speech. After all, they were much coarser in their language during the war. But it was no longer a time of war, it was a time of peace, and they must change to accommodate it.

"…,"

?

Feeling the stare from behind, he turned to find the child they were recently acquainted with looking at them curiously. Kouen also saw this and raised an eyebrow at the puzzled expression she bore.

"What's bugging you, little Shi?" Hakuren asked, it appears that he has finally relented with his teasing due to her silence. Shirin did not jerk this time, through she did seem uncomfortable.

"…Why do all of your names starts with colors?" Shirin asked the group, a veil of curiosity shimmered in her face. "Koumei, Kouen, Hakuyuu, Hakuren…is it a tradition to always name your kid red and white here?"

Koumei raised an eyebrow at the sheer disrespect she had done by questioning their names. The way she spoke would have easily ridiculed a high strung noble due to her blatant ignorance. Had she been anyone else, that is. His brother also bore a similar expression; through he felt that their views of the situation were vastly different. Still, the conversation interested both of them; neither brother had the time to learn these trivia traditions due to being thrown into the war after all. It did not help that their father did not like talking about it.

"You are right as well as wrong, Shirin," Hakuyuu said, his smile had once again become gentle "It is quite the interesting tale how it happened though, would you all like to hear it? I do believe that you are not the only one who doesn't know yet. Am I right? Kouen? Koumei?"

They nodded their heads, and Hakuren smiled alongside his older brother.

"How about we talk about this in the garden, Yuu? I think all of us need some time to have some fresh air for once," He said, looking pointedly at both his brother, their younger cousins, and even their little guest "You too, little Shi,"

Shirin grumbled at being addressed but said nothing when Hakuyuu replied in agreement. And after the child had cleaned the table she was originally reading on, they left the archives.

* * *

The air really was fresher outside

"The tale begins long before our father became emperor," The man started with his brother beside him, they were sitting inside a beautifully decorated pavilion beside the garden and lake. There, the sweet scent of the White Spider Lilies that surround the body of water reached their senses, and created a calming atmosphere. Koumei and his brother had sat close to the exit; beside them was the child Shirin, who at the moment was drinking the tea the servant had brought to them quietly. "Back then, both of our fathers held different names to the ones we know. What those names are is a mystery, but only because our fathers threw these names away himself,"

"The three countries were at constant war with one another. Destroying villages, stealing information, declaring wars with one another…those times were said by many to have been the bloodiest era that had occurred in the Far East. The generation of that time had cursed this dynasty as the 'Chi dynasty' the dynasty of blood," Shirin listened silently as the first born son spoke "Our fathers grew up in this time, and like us, they were sent out immediately after they came to age to lead the armies against the other countries. Unlike us, however, they did not have a clear goal in their war; they merely fought war after war to protect our kingdom,"

"Our Grandfather was a prideful and cunning man. He believed that he should become the rightful emperor of the New Dynasty and spent many years feuding with the other emperors who also believed in the same thing. Even when our kingdom was small and growing dry of resources due to the war, he would always manage to steal resources from the neighboring country and renew the kingdom's fighting spirit." He looked back towards Kouen and Koumei with a frown "Your father thought highly of this man because of this,"

"Father, on the other hand, saw it differently," Hakuren continued the story, turning towards Shirin and then to his two cousins "He saw grandfather's conquest as wasteful and destructive. He believed that grandfather was going nowhere by constantly leaving his country barren of resources, gaining resources by stealing, and then just spending it all on war,"

"None of the kingdoms were getting anywhere then. Their economies dwindled as their workforce was sent into the battlefields along with all their supplies. Father saw that they were slowly leading themselves into self destruction," Looking out, Hakuren pondered on the tranquil peace he was witnessing before continuing "Father tried many ways to stop the war and the bloodshed that it causes, but Grandfather and your father refused to listen to him,"

"It was then that father left to seek advice from his mother – our grandmother," Hakuren said with a smile "Although grandmother wasn't part of the war, she was wise and thoughtful and had also grown tired of these endless wars and the state her husband was leaving his people in. However, she knew that this war was not something that could be easily stopped with a peace treaty. As such, when our father came to her, she said this:"

"_The kingdoms fight for they are afraid,"_ Hakuyuu spoke, mimicking the words his father knew by heart _"They are afraid of their weaknesses and afraid of the strengths of others. They fight because they are lost, because they have no common factor that could unite them. They are no different from children who fight over a toy, my child. For even now, they require an adult to show them their wrongdoings and end their fight,"_

"…When father finally understood this," Hakuyuu spoke, his voice was quiet yet still seemed to echo as if he were shouting "He made a promise to himself, and to the entire imperial council during the day he was to be crowned as the heir to the throne,"

"_If water cannot douse the flames of your hatred, than a thousand flaming arrows will smite it down to submission," _Hakuren echoed the speech their father had spoken, as written in the scriptures _"If war is what you seek, then a war I shall give you, and a war you shall fight until you fall to your knees and become weak. And when that time has come, I shall lend you my robe and shelter you in my home, where you will become not an enemy, but an ally,"_

"You can guess how grandfather and your father reacted to this," Hakuren said "They pretty much ridiculed him for his words alone, even your father, who had previously sworn that he would follow him whichever path he would choose, ridiculed him for his ideas" The younger prince frowned at the thought for a moment, before smiling again "But father stayed firm to his ideals, and even proclaimed that his own kingdom would burn in the same flame, and be reborn pure as a single entity,"

"Father became the victim of many assassination attempts after this, one of which was orchestrated by Grandfather himself. When this came to light, grandfather was sentenced to be executed for treason," Hakuyuu continued the conversation "But he was not executed, for your father had begged his elder brother to spare the life of their grandfather, and in return, devoted himself to follow his brother's cause,"

"It was on the day that father became emperor did he and your father changed their names to Hakutoku and Koutoku," Hakuyuu stated "These names we bore is a reminder of our father's ultimate wish: To unite the world under a single emperor, so that there would no longer be any one to fight them,"

"They knew that they wouldn't be able to achieve their dream that quickly, you see," Hakuren added when he noticed the perplexed faced on all three of the children "That's why they decided to also entrust father's vision to their descendants,"

"White: For the peace and prosperity that they yearned to gain, and Red: For the bloodshed and grief that they know they will cause in the process of fulfilling it," The man looked at all three of the children equally "That, is the reason why we are names such, to remember the promise and to continue the vision,"

"I see…," Kouen muttered when it was clear that their brothers were finished with their tale. Neither of them had originally cared to know why they were named such, for there had always been more pressing matters than learning the meaning of your own name. But now they knew, and they marvel at the history behind those simple symbols. His brother however, had a very different face from the one full of understanding.

"I apologize for asking, Hakuyuu ni-sama," Koumei started, gaining the attention of everyone in the pavilion, including the black haired child who was sitting slightly apart from him "But if that was the case…why had they connected death and bloodshed with red? Would black not have been a more appropriate color to use?"

Red after all, was an auspicious color in their tradition. It represented love and strong desires, as well as color of energy, vitality, heat, and power. Black, in contrast, represented death and destruction, as well as doom, fear and sorrow. White, he could understand, but Red? For once, Koumei could not understand.

At his younger cousin's question, Hakuyuu paused. For a moment, he looked contemplative as he thought of ways to answer his cousin's question, but found no way to give it to him. Hakuren also looked perplexed, giving his brother a shrug when he had turned to asked for his aid. Neither seemed to have the proper idea of how to answer him.

That was when Shirin spoke, for the first time since they got here too.

"It's derived from the spider lilies, isn't it?"

The eldest in the group looked surprised from what came out of the girl's mouth, she had been quiet for the whole time after all. "What made you think that?" He asked, and soon enough, all the attention was being directed at the outsider of the group.

The child looked ready to fidget in her seat at the attention, but steadied herself "Aren't those Emperor Hakutoku's favorite flowers?" she said, and Hakuyuu confirmed it. Yes, it was quite known that both Hakutoku and Koutoku favored this flower among the rest, with their garden being bountiful of these flowers under their respective colors. But when they asked how she knew this she replied "He told me about it one day, he said that the flowers reminded him of his mother, who also favored them,"

…That was true. The previous Empress had been fond of Spider lilies herself, whether they had been red, white, or yellow. No one knew why she favored these flowers over the more delicate and sophisticated flowers, some had even said that it reminded her of her homeland. Her love for these flowers extended to her death, where she had requested in her will prior to her assassination that she would be laid down surrounded by red spider lilies and would be cremated with them. If one were to connect these flowers to the meaning of the colors Hakutoku had placed in their names, then they would understand the true meaning of that request.

"Plus, their meanings seem to coincide with what the Emperor was trying to say,"

Koumei watched as both his elder cousins and his brother raised their eyebrows questioningly at this added line "What do you mean by that?" A question was spoken, by none other than his brother. Shirin looked at him and his brother in surprise, before rubbing the back of her head awkwardly.

_(Why is the magi's daughter uncomfortable around me and Kouen nii-sama? Could it be that she knows something about us that has frightened her? But she does not seem to be uncomfortable around Hakuyuu and Hakuren nii-sama. Perhaps it is something that is not directly related to us, but to father? Had Hakuyuu nii-sama trusted her with the knowledge that father had been the mastermind of multiple of Hakuyuu's failed assassination attempts? No. Hakuyuu nii-sama would never trust anyone with this knowledge. Then what is it?_

_What is making the magi's daughter feel so uncomfortable yet still refuse to say anything?)_

"…There are quite a few legends about Spider Lilies really – Red Spider Lilies in particular. The Red Spider Lily is a symbol of death and the afterlife. It is also a symbol for the death of a promise, yet also the remembrance that such a promise had existed," The child stated in a curt fashion, before pausing and adding "White Spider Lilies on the other hand, don't really have a meaning in itself, but there are some who see it as a symbol of purity and reincarnation, others have even connected this flower to a promise fulfilled. I haven't heard of any legends concerning White Spider Lilies though, unlike Red Spider Lilies,"

"Oh?" Duly interested by this piece of information, Koumei spoke out "I feel as if I've heard a similar explanation…," The girl looked at him in confusion before shrugging, but he was already deep in his own thoughts. Those meanings sound familiar to him, but where?

"_Long, Long ago, in a village far from the capital-,"_

"Ah! I remember," The boy spoke out, turning towards his older brother "We have heard a legend describing the flowers as such, haven't we?" Kouen's eyes widened momentarily before regaining his composure. On the other hand, the child beside him looked perplexed by this.

"Huh?" The girl's eyebrows creased slightly "That can't be right, I haven't heard of any legends concerning White Spider Lilies before,"

"It was a story a servant of ours had made up to entertain our youngest brother," Kouen clarified, and Koumei saw Hakuren's face twitch into a smile again when he realized who Kouen was talking about. There was only one servant in the Red Palace who could even come near their little brother and his mother after all.

"Ah yes, I remember hearing this story from him as well," Hakuyuu said "It is the one about the couple who died in order to meet again after they were reincarnated, am I wrong?" Kouen nodded in confirmation.

No one noticed the odd look the child had at this info.

"Oh that!" Hakuren laughed "I remember liking it for its twisted ending!" This reaction caused the heir to the throne to frown.

Again, no one noticed the trepidation that was crawling onto the girl's face.

"Only you would find a story which ends with the man accidentally killing the woman he loves due to being the commander in charge of the war that killed her, before proceeding to kill himself," He said, and again, no one noticed the child. Even as her faced became white as a sheet and her breathing became labored. It was only when Koumei, who was sitting beside her, noticed the odd silence enveloping the child was she noticed.

"…Is something the matter?" He asked her. The girl did not respond immediately however, and took a few seconds to respond to the boy. Koumei watched carefully as the child's face shifted from shock to denial to contemplative, and finally, to resigned.

"Nothing," She said "I'm just over thinking things again," Koumei raised an eyebrow at her statement, but seeing as he was not close to her, chose not to comment. He had been thought not to be rude to others after all. Suspicious as she was, he had little doubt that his cousins would befriend someone who would stab them in the backs. They were good judges of character after all.

…Still…

"You say that there are quite a few tales concerning Red Spider lilies, correct?" Koumei asked, and Shirin, with a hint of confusion as to where this conversation was going, nodded. The young strategist could practically feel the stares of his brother and his cousins from behind them "Would you tell me some of them?"

"…what?" Too long has it been since the young strategist has seen a face of sheer incredulity "Why?"

"There is no particular reason, truthfully," He said to her "It has merely been a while since I have learned of something that is not part of our research," And it was true. Even after the long war has ended and the first part of their dream had succeeded, Koumei did not rest and continued his research. _Magnostadt _was already well above them in magical research due to their revolution three years ago. It was a race against time to catch up with the rapidly growing country of magic. However, he was only human, and even he would like to learn something different once and a while.

…

Why was his brother looking at him as if he had grown another head? Was it that out of character of him to do so?

"B-But," She started, looking rather taken aback by the sudden request, whatever protests she had were blocked off by the people behind the boy, however.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Hakuyuu, who was merely watching the scene a moment ago, said. "It will do no harm to exchange harmless stories, no?"

Shirin still looked uncertain.

"C'mon, little Shi!" Hakuren said from beside Hakuyuu "We told you a story, now it's your turn!"

The child was practically fidgeting from the attention. Koumei watched as his brother looked at her silently. For a moment, it did not look like he was going to speak to her like he and their elder cousins had done, but soon enough, he spoke.

The problem was, not even he could understand what his brother had said to the girl.

"There is no reason for you to be afraid," He said in a soft tone that carried long through the wind. Had the girl not visibly flinched from his brother's words – and had his elder cousins not quietly prevented him from questioning this behavior in the form of a gaze – he would have questioned the undertone of that single line.

The girl seemed to contemplate on his request, her muscles nerving and her mind swirling with things the young strategist could only hope to understand. But it was not long before her muscles began to relax and she gave them a small and weary smile.

"Okay then," She said before beginning her tales.

Despite the peace this Empire had finally earned, there was still much to be done. There were still Logistics to plan, Strategies to perfect and Countries to renew under the image of the Kou Empire. Koumei knew that this would be a never-ending race against the world in order to fulfill the dream of the man he and his brother choose to follow. For until the day the dream has become reality, no one can truly rest.

How long has it been since he had done something aside from work and plan? It feels like forever.

However…just for a moment, he wishes to ease his own shoulders. For he is with his brothers and there is no one there aside from the odd child holding mysteries he has not seen in a while. He was no longer in the strategy room, or the research lab, nor was he even in the archives. In that short moment, the young strategist was merely a child listening to tales unknown to him with his brothers and cousins.

Because for a moment, there was nothing but peace.

And this tiny moment that may be forgotten with time, Is a glimpse of their dream fulfilled.

Their dream of peace.

* * *

**.**

**~Diary of Ups and Downs~**

**_.  
_**

_Entry no. 1 _

_May 12 XXXX_

…_Let's see, how do you start this? Do I just write anything that comes to mind? Shit, why am I having trouble with this? I am literally just supposed to write about my day in this thing._

_I suppose I'll start with introductions I guess? I'm Leia and I just turned 27 today. I'm not really the type to have journals or diaries or whatever, but my husband gave me this to me with the intent that I practice my writing skills, because apparently, it's become atrocious. I feel like he was being over dramatic about it, I mean – the nurses can still read it! Sure they sometimes ask if I could read it out loud once and a while, and that kind of scenario has been happening lately, but that doesn't mean my handwriting is bad! Cause it's not, okay?!_

_(Dammit, he's looking at me with that "I know you what you're thinking, you're in denial" smile and it's fucking annoying because – Gah!)_

_Anyhow, even if I don't think my handwriting is as bad as my husband says it is, I'll still try and write on this journal. It's surprisingly thick and would probably last for more than a year If I don't do daily entries, and I suppose it's useful for remembering things, plus I really don't want to waste Roan's – my husband, not my nephew, It gets aggravating at times when people mix the two together – present to me, it's the least I can do._

_Let's see now, what else should I write about…? Oh! I know! This thing wasn't the only thing I got for my birthday after all! My family actually came all the way here from the Philippines to greet me a happy birthday! Mom and Dad gave me some clothes they bought back at home – because they know I love anything that would remind me of home – and my sister gave this HUGE golden teddy bear! It was so big and fluffy and it was just adorable! I'm going to name her Gab! As for my brother…well Marcus obviously thought he was being funny when he gave me four packs of "ChocNut" for my birthday. Guess he didn't take to account that I was horribly missing the nostalgic taste of those crumbly, Philippine-made, chocolate bars, and only realized it when I squealed and hugged him like I was a kid twenty years younger than I really am. _

_But really, the best present of all came from my precious little Lily and Whitney. They gave this adorable looking card! And you know what made it better?! They even wrote "Happy Birthday Mama!" on it with crayon! My little girls can spell birthday properly! It was so adorable! My little flowers are just adorable!_

_Well…that's all I have to say for today…._

_Bye_

* * *

**.**

"_**Listen to me,"**_

_**.**_

* * *

_Entry no. 5_

_May 24 XXXX_

_Today the hospital was overloaded with patients. It would seem as multiple terrorist bombings occurred nearby at the entrances and center of a park. I'm not sure how many people were involved in this incident, but Roan said that – judging from the patients being mostly consisted of children and couples – most of the victims were families. One of the victims had been a child no older than ten years old; her whole body suffered a second-degree burn of full thickness. While her burns were not as lethal compared to the other patients here, she became a priority when we found out that she was suffering severe internal bleeding and had ingested the toxic fumes some of the bombs emitted. She was lucky to have even survived that. To think such a young child had to go through so much pain, it's disgusting._

_The child was only seven years older than my own kids…_

_Now that I think about it, Roan must have seen how distressed I was about the incident, because he took me aside for a few moments and gave me a much-needed hug, before giving me a mug of hot chocolate. Ah… This must have been painful for Roan too, not once did he speak in that childish third person perspective like he usually does. Unlike me, who only entered medical school and became a doctor because of my parents' prodding, Roan wholeheartedly wanted to become a doctor, simply because he wanted to help people. He was one of those people who were honestly nice guys and actually did go out of their way to help in any way they can. Seeing this kind of destruction always made him want to tear up._

_It was worse since he was a children's doctor…_

_And yet he comforted me…I should make up for it once all this is over…_

_Both of us deserve a break after all…_

* * *

**.**

"_**This is not your fault,"**_

**_._**

* * *

_Entry no. 17_

_August 8 XXXX_

_Today is Lily and Whitney's birthday! Me and Roan planned the whole day out to give them a blast! We even made it so that out brake would coincide with today! Through I fear that the paperwork I'll be coming back to surely keep me busy for a couple of days. _

_But that's okay! Anything for my little spider lilies!_

_First through, we had to go to the graveyard to pay respects to Roan's parents and pray for their continued guidance. Initially, he wanted to do this alone, since he didn't want to bore us on their birthday. But after some hair-pulling from the twins and some persuasion in my part, he relented with letting us come with him. After that though, we went to the park and had breakfast, we even let the kids run around to play so long as they were within our sights. Then we went to the toy store, where we let them pick their own presents. Lily wanted the caterpillar-shaped stuffed animal and Whitney made us get the plastic tea set, through she also seemed to want a stuff animal as well. Fortunately, she settled for the tea set._

_We headed home after this; Lily and Whitney were so excited to play with their new toys that they didn't even notice the cake on the table. It was only after the rest of the visitors cheered "Happy Birthday!" that they noticed that everyone else was there. We spent the remaining hours playing games and eating cake until the two saps got too tired and needed to go to bed. _

…

_It's 3:00 in the morning and the wind is really making it hard to sleep. God, the wind is so noisy tonight, it reminds me of how loud Whitney could be when she's crying._

* * *

.

"_**This will never be your fault," **_

_**.**_

* * *

_Entry no. 18_

_August 9 XXXX _

_I found an infant while I was throwing out the trash from yesterday's party._

_I found the infant in a garbage pile. I had been out to throw away the trash when all of a sudden I heard the muffled cries of someone. To my horror, it was coming from this big duffel bag beside one of the garbage plastics. I quickly opened the bag and found the infant – barely three months old too – cramped and looking red faced from all the screaming they were doing, it was heart breaking. I understand that there really are parents out there that are so callous as to abandon their children like this, but the hatred I felt when I realized that this kid could have __**died **__if I hadn't found them was unbearable._

_God, I wanted to __**kill **__someone. The child looked like they hadn't eaten in days. Their skin was unnaturally red for an infant and they had freaking __**stitches **__on their skin, __**stitches**__.__God, just thinking about it makes me sick, I feel like I could puke right now. I want so bad to rush around the town right now to look for the monsters who would do this and send them straight to jail so that they don't fuck up anyone else's lives, but by now, they would have already left the town at least._

_Naturally, I rushed them to the hospital to get them treated. The child was extremely pale and malnourished; a simple bottle of milk wasn't enough to take them away from death's door. Roan had been on duty that day and, being a children's doctor, only needed one look at the baby to guess what happened before taking them away to get the proper nourishment. By the time he came back, it was already evening, his face was grim and ashen, but he told me that the child – a boy, apparently – was still alive._

_God, please let that child live._

…

_Fuck, fuck, FUCK! Goddammit! I just realized that this kid might have been the one crying a storm last night! But I just fucking brushed it off as wind! FUCK, I almost killed the kid!_

_God…_

* * *

.

"_**So stop it,"**_

_**.**_

* * *

_Entry no. 27_

_September 11_

_Today I collapsed from exhaustion and got sick. Hah, go me…I suck at stamina. And now Roan won't let me out of the bed. I'm a lazy person, but even I get bored when I can't sleep. I can't even go out to fetch the kids from the daycare. So instead, Roan decided to humor me by telling me a story he made up…hah. Some people would seriously start questioning my mental age if I'm asking an adult to tell me a story in my age. But his stories always sound like legends to me, he likes making stories about how things became how they are like legends used to do. And to me, those were my kind of stories._

_This time, the story was about Spider Lilies. I've always loved White Spider lilies ya know, they smelled sweet and they grew next to lakes, and I loved lakes. Plus, I always connected my little twins to white spider lilies. They were born on the eight day of the eight month, they took after their father's albinism, and it just so happened that Roan – who knew how much I loved them – had a vase full of white spider lilies on my bedside. _

_The story began with a man and a woman who suffered from a love between cousins. Unable to love another person due to their feelings for their cousin, they resorted to committing suicide with the promise that they would return to one another after they escape the land of the Yomi._

_The woman was the first to reincarnate. She was reborn as a poor orphan living in a village beside the lake. However, this did not deter her, and she remained positive that she will soon find happiness. Even as she matured into a beautiful woman and men would flock to ask for her hand in marriage, she would refuse, patiently waiting for the man she died to marry. The man, on the other hand, was once again born into a wealthy family. The man grew to become a warrior, and with the backing of his family and his experience in his past life, became a great commander. However, just like the woman, he refused to marry anyone, even when his family threw woman after woman on his lap, for he has vowed his heart to one woman alone, and even then, he continued searching for her._

_One day, war broke out between two kingdoms, one being the kingdom the man had once called home in his past life. With a heavy heart, he commanded his men towards victory, razing the land and setting his past aflame. But even then, he did not falter. Even when he ordered his men to behead the people he once called his parents and destroyed the place he had once called home. He did not falter._

_It was only after her visited one small village did his heart began to break._

_For in this village – whose crops were poisoned by the blood of its farmers, whose streets were covered with the bodies of its children, whose lake was tainted by the defiled carcasses of women – was the remains of the very woman he vowed to marry. The man's mind broke on that day; his hands immediately grabbed onto his sword and punctured his lungs with its unrelenting steel. He collapsed beside the woman's body, muttering his regrets and apologies till his last breath. _

_The gods above saw this, and were moved by the couple's tragedy and redeemed their souls. The wife, innocent and pure, became a White Spider Lily, while the husband, loving and guilty, became a Red Spider Lily. Red Spider Lilies represented the death of their promise and the remnants of a lost love. Of how the man failed to fulfill it yet also grieved for it. White Spider Lilies, on the other handed, represented the patience to fulfill a promise and the act of coming back to life as pure as can be. Of how the woman waited for the man patiently until her untimely death. It's weird story, I know. But back then, for some reason I couldn't really call it a fake legend. Perhaps it was because of the certainty he had in his voice when he said that?_

_Who knows really?_

* * *

.

"_**Stop thinking that it is,"**_

_**.**_

* * *

_Entry no. 38_

_October 25 XXXX_

_The infant's health was going alright, he said. Through I worry what will happen to him after he's declared stable enough to leave the hospital._

_In cases such as this, the decision would go to the one who found him – me. If I refused to take him, he would be sent to the orphanage and we would probably never see each other again. On the other hand, if I adopt him, that would be one more mouth to feed, and one more baby to take care off. _

_Don't get me wrong, I love my little flowers, but I just can't relax in front of kids really. I'm horrible with them. Even with months of being a caretaker in a local daycare center, I can't see to feel comfortable when I'm around kids. I feel like I should question every little thing I do around them because I'm scared of accidentally becoming a bad influence on them. I'm not the most polite person really, I can speak politely if I want to, but if I'm not careful, something I didn't mean to say might slip through my teeth and mess things up. It's worse because I've recently found some toddlers irritating and realized that I was almost about to cuss out loud when one of them stepped on my foot. Needless to say, I had to bite my tongue painfully to keep the curse from being said, and don't get me started on the epic fails I had while taking care of Lily and Whitney! _

_God, Roan's more of a mom than I am…_

_Roan wants to adopt him though. He's grown attached to the child after all the time and effort he gave to keep the child alive, he even temporarily named him after the color of his hair: "Red". He was even under the impression that I was okay with it too, and made the most heartbreaking look when I was actually having second thoughts on the idea. The twins also encouraged it as well. They were exited on having a little brother and really wanted to meet the baby I found just a day after their birthday. I seem to be the only one with second thoughts about it._

_Do…I want to adopt a child…? No…that's not the right question, is it._

_The question I need to answer would be: Do I have it in me to abandon that child by sending him to the orphanage?_

…

_Well. I know the answer to that. Screw budget, I'm not low enough to abandon that child._

* * *

.

"_**There was no way anyone could have seen this coming,"**_

_**.**_

* * *

_Entry no. 39_

_October 25 XXXX_

_Today Roan told me that the child I found were doing alright but there was still a possibility that his condition would worsen. He's doing everything he can to keep it that way. Apparently, the stitches on Red – that was the name Roan gave the child, which was why he was so attached to him – were actually getting infections and there were multiple times when he had to stay in the hospital for days just to stabilize him. Roan…really wants this child to live._

_The child's health at the moment is stable though, so the head doctor made Roan take a much needed day off from work. _

_Anyhow, after that I went off to work with Roan staying behind because he told me that he was going to use the time to clean the house while the kids were in school – Lily really seems to like drawing, while Whitney's all about playing with the other kids – and tend to the garden. At first, I didn't really think much about it, that is, until I realized that I forgot to hide my manga stash before I left._

_Imagine my embarrassment when I found my husband reading them on our bed_

_I know I shouldn't be embarrassed – Roan knew long ago that I was a closet otaku and enjoyed these kinds of things, he was also fond of a few manga himself – but it's still rather embarrassing to get caught in the act like that. I mean – I'm a doctor and I still read these stuff, you don't understand how much of an insecurity that is for me. When my parents first found out that I read manga at my age, they started to ridicule me and say that I should 'grow up' and 'stop being childish' and all that. So it was kinda a surprise when I found someone who didn't mind me like this._

_Of course, that doesn't mean he doesn't have his own odd points. First of all, he's even more childish than me. Seriously, he still speaks in third person like some kid! He's all like "Roan really likes this!" and "Roan thinks its best that we go here!" seriously?! Another thing is that he's all cuddly, as in the hug from being kind. And while that ain't really an odd trait, the fact that he would even do it in public can be a bit embarrassing. Oh, and don't get me started with his love of Red Spider lilies, or just Spider lilies in general. I mean – yeah, I like spider lilies too, always had, but I get this feeling that he likes them a tad bit more that I do._

_He's a really odd guy. I'm glad I married him_

* * *

.

"_**Now get up already, Leia,"**_

_**.**_

* * *

_Entry no. 48_

_November 8 XXXX_

_The child died._

* * *

.

"_**We don't have time for this,"**_

_**.**_

* * *

_Entry no. 80_

_March 3 XXXX_

_Today I'm on my way to a conference in another town. Because I had only recently acquired the title of head doctor in our hospital, I was rightfully nervous of how to handle it. Roan reassured me that I would be alright, and the kids also tried cheering me up when they noticed how anxious I was about all this. Still, its nerve racking, I feel like such a newbie._

_Ah, speaking of Roan, I asked him if he could pick something up for me at the delivery station. My parents sent me a few things that would be arriving tomorrow. Since it was Roan's day off tomorrow, he thought of bringing the kids to the park for some fresh air and all. We barley get to spend time with them nowadays due to our schedules, and sometimes I worry that we might get too distant from them. Plus, there was supposed to be this event there tomorrow since it was going to be a national holiday soon, so a lot of people would be going there anyways. Thinking about that, I was alright with the idea. _

_Just before I left however, Roan gave me something. It was this cute little pendant with a metal version of a Red Spider Lily on it. When I asked where he got it, he said that a friend of his knew how much he liked those particular flowers and made him a pair, before showing me an identical pendant on his neck, only white. It's really sweet for him to get a matching pair. I should remember to get him something when I come back. Maybe I should but him that gardening book he was looking at when we went to the bookstore? Through I have this odd feeling that he's prefer to have that dragon ornament we passed through while shopping. Guy has a weird taste of fashion._

_Ah, I'm getting albeit carsick now; I think that's enough writing for a while._

_Until next time,_

_Leia._

* * *

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_**The XXXXX Times**_

_**March XXXX Edition**_

_**TERRORIST BOMBERS STRIKE NATIONAL PARK  
**_

_**Death count: 58**_

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"…_**The police still needs you to identify their bodies,"**_

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* * *

_Entry no. 82  
_

_Three of the bodies have been confirmed_

_It was Roan and our children_

_They died an instant death due to being near one of the bombs._

_The burns made their bodies become unrecognizable_

_..._

_Had Roan not been wearing that pendant..._

_..._

_This isn't happening  
_

_This can't be happening_

_I don't understand_

_Why did this happen? _

_Why them?_

_Who do i blame for this?_

_..._

_This is my fault..._

_This is all my fault. If i hadn't asked him to get the package, if i hadn't allowed them to go to the park..._

_They should have just stayed inside..._

_They should have been alive. They should have been there waiting for me when i got back home. They shouldn't have been in the morgue. They shouldn't have been so baldy chard from the explosion. They shouldn't have been in there in the first place. They didn't deserve this._

_No one deserved this._

_So why does it still happen?! _

_Why did they die?!_

_..._

_Why didn't i see this coming...?_

_This is all my fault._

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry. I'M SORRY__. I'M SORRY__. I'M SORRY. __I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry. I'M SORRY__. I'M SORRY__. I'M SORRY. __I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry. I'M SORRY__. I'M SORRY__. I'M SORRY. __I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry. I'M SORRY__. I'M SORRY__. __I'M SORRY._ _I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry. I'M SORRY__. I'M SORRY_**_. _**_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry__. I'm sorry. **I'M SORRY**_**_. I'M SORRY__. I'M SORRY_**

**_I can't take it anymore. I just want to run away._**

**_tHiS iS aLl JuSt A bAd DrEaM_**

**_i WaN'T To WaKe uP_**

**_I..._**

* * *

**_._**

**_"I want to go home,"  
_**

**_._**

* * *

**First? The last side story will be the last time I make a side story of her past life. Why? Because there is no more need to tell you the life of a dead girl. **

**NOTES ARE UP!**

**1\. I don't particularly want to say anything about this part. I don't want to spoil anything. I'll just let you know that - if you haven't already guessed - something happened which caused a strain to form in their friendly relationship.**

**2\. I don't want to say much about this story in general, but i will tell you that the story Koumei talks about - the one that had Shirin's face go pale - was actually the same one Roan told Leia on a whim. I'll just leave that thought there.**

**3\. Just to clarify some things, Leia's family died in the explosion talked about in the newspaper article. After a massive breakdown, she returns home. A bunch of you might wonder why there had been no mentions of her family prior to this chapter. There are two factors for that, One: Leia died when she was 32, her family died when she was 28. While i don't know how long it takes for someone to cope with the lose of a love one (It probably takes longer than i depicted it to be) it's already been 4 years since they died. Plus, Leia was the type to deny these thing to still continue to be a stable human being. Two: She was kinda preoccupied by the fact that she as reborn in the Kou Empire as Judar's older half sibling.**

**How'd you like it though? It isn't fluffy but...I was kinda in the mood of writing something like this.**

**Read and Review!**


	8. Stage of Faith

**This was supposed to come a week earlier...but fanfiction kept on messing up my docs when I uploaded them...does anyone else have that kind of problem? I had to manually write the broken part all over again. I had to rewrite 10,000+ words all because fanfiction was being glitchy that day...It wouldn't even let me copy and paste without the fonts and spaces becoming all wrong. A lot of words and scenes disappeared too, and I had to rewrite them to the best of my knowledge.**** It was a nightmare. I hope something like that never happens to me again...  
**

**Enough about that though! I was able to do it in the end anyways! So about the story...hm, well I should warn you that the first half is cringe worthy for me (Never been good with drama after all) but the latter half (not the near ending) was a scene I was itching to do for a long time. So I really hope you'd like it!**

**To those who haven't been looking at the previous chapters, I've actually started a small rewrite project to update the chapters' quality again. The project is still unfinished, but by the time you see this chapter, the first two chapters and the fourth chapter should already be updated. Here's a rundown on the changes for those who are interested:**

**Chapter 1: Nothing important in my opinion, just changed the wordings of some paragraphs here and there. I'd like to think that the number of mispellings had decreased though...hopefully...**

**Chapter 2: A complete rewrite of the chapter. Tons of new content mixed with the old ones and a few word changes. Good news, a more in depth look in Yui's life and the appearance of Judar's father (who I realized I only showed in the first chapter). Bad news, I am pretty sure that there are new corrections that I wasn't able to see. I'll look into that.**

**Chapter 3: (Not out) I will Rewrite the latter half of the Kou scene. That's it.**

**Chapter 4: The tiny dream scene Shirin has will be altered so that people would understand it. Too much symbolism is bad for the mind after all.**

**Chapter 5: I'm...actually alright with this chapter, so just a few minor alterations here and there.**

**Chapter 6: I don't know...It's too cringe worthy to look at for me. Maybe alter the ending a bit? The overall plot is still the same.**

**Backstage: I will be destroying "Rare Regular Days" due to how fragile my idea for the future has become and replacing it with another story. I will also be rewriting "Tales of Red and White" since I felt like it lacked anything decent in the story. The third one is good enough as it is. **

**So...yeah, pray for me. I guess.**

**DISCLAIMER: All Characters and Settings are officially owned by Othaka, the creator of Magi, While the OC and the plot line is owned by me.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Destiny's Play

Chapter 7:

Stage of Faith

.

A Child No Longer

* * *

_The sun was nowhere in sight in the place they called home. There were no birds singing, no children playing, no wars breaking, and no people dying. It was a place isolated from society and all that it brought._

_And yet…_

"_Nanan, I have a question!" Bare feet padded through the wooden floor of this tiny but spacious cottage as a tiny girl carried a set of string bound books in her arms towards her father figure. The person she was looking for was sitting on a chair in the living room, drinking a cup of tea newly made. At the sound of her call, however, he lowered the tea onto the table and turned towards her. Shirin wasted no time in throwing all the books she had been carrying onto the table as gently as she could without disturbing the tea._

_The tea spilled anyways._

"_Hm? What is all this, Ririn?" Yunan asked, confused at the pile of books suddenly collapsing on top of the table. He ignored his spilled tea for a moment to take a book from the pile and, as his daughter climbed up to the seat beside him to wipe away the spilled tea, read the first page. He blinked for a moment, before looking at another book, and another, until stopping at the fourth book._

"…_These are all history books," Yunan muttered to himself before turning towards his daughter "I remember reading these to you for bed a few nights ago, is there something the matter with them?"_

_Shirin shook her head and look looked back at the pile pensively. She then took a random book from the pile – the book centring on Kina Island if he remembered correctly – before showing it to him. _

"_Why didn't it change?" She asked, and Yunan once again looked at her in confusion. _

_..._

_Why didn't 'what' change? _

_Yunan only felt confusion at the lack of information his daughter was giving him. Through maybe this trait was his fault, as he had ( in a shameful manner) admittedly relied on magic to tell what she was feeling during the first months of her stay, thus she grew up to expect that he had already known what she was talking about. It doesn't help that he promised himself that he wouldn't use that particular magic anymore after finding out how atrocious Shirin's social skills had become when they first visited the Toran tribe._

_The women of the village had ridiculed him greatly for that instance..._

_It's a learning process, he supposes._

"_Um...what do you mean, Ririn?" Yunan asked politely and Shirin's face reddened in embarrassment when she realized her mistake, before giving him an embarrassed grin._

"_Sorry," She muttered, before continuing "I was uh- I was talking about their language," _

_Suddenly, Yunan's face sobered, and a soft smile came up to his face "Oh? What about it?" He said, a mix of curiosity and understanding laced in his voice. Shirin must have heard it as well, as she had looked up from the book for a second before drifting her eyes away._

"_Uh…How do I say it?" She fumbled for a moment "Let's say the theory that the magi made the first country is true and that – due to some unknown reasons that vary radically in every book, there is literally not a single story here that is similar aside from the 'magi making the country' thing – they divided and made their own countries. Why do they have such drastically different cultures if they all came from a single country? Shouldn't they, by logic, attain at least some of their traditions?"_

_Yunan smiled at the question and mentally shook his head ruefully, as if her sentence had greatly amused him._

"_Traditions change depending on the environment, Ririn," He said calmly, giving her a simpler explanation to things "Perhaps the traditions of the old country could not be done in that certain area due to weather conditions, such as intense heat or snow. It is common for traditions to fade and for new beliefs to blossom should no one enforce them. Besides, the people who separated may have been ones who disliked the traditions and came up with their own," Shirin frowned slightly in understanding, but soon enough spoke up once more.  
_

"_Then why did language persist?" Yunan paused, and began to frown._

"_I…beg your pardon?" He asked. The girl was not looking at him then, as she was busy with her own thoughts. This was why she did not notice the sense of unease her father had on his face._

"_I realized that a lot of the countries are apart from one another, to the point where it was impossible to immediately start trading and connecting with other countries," She said, her mouth moving automatically, her hands pressed on the books "According to my re- I mean – from what I read, all the initial countries started out rather isolated for a couple hundred or so years, some even ten to nine hundred give or take. They only started reconnecting with one another after the first exploration done by the founder of the Reim Empire, who in turn, introduced universal trading hubs. But before that, they were completely isolated with only their surrounding resources, traditions they couldn't do or wouldn't do and was left forgotten, and their own language,"_

"_The traditions…it was normal that they were forgotten. As you said, new surroundings can call for a new culture, and a few centuries worth of isolation is nothing to sneeze at. From what I could tell from the books, they had already established unique cultures by the time of the first exploration. The people had changed to accommodate their society,"_

"_The question is: why didn't their language change with them?" Shirin was looking at him now, her voice clearly showing how frustrated she was, hinting to her father figure about just how much she had been thinking about it "It makes no sense. When those travelers visited the Toran tribe we were settling in for research purposes, there wasn't even an accent in their voices that told us where they were from, No slang unique to them alone. From what I read, the biggest change in language here is the naming of the Imuchakk tribe, and they literally only switch the characters of the literal word to make the name! Why the hell is like that?!" _

_Yunan watched in amazement as the girl who was sitting quietly just a few minutes ago spring up waving her arms like a madman. She must be really confused by this. Some would say that this was an overreaction, but with nothing else to do in this cottage, it was probably the only thing keeping her busy. _

"_This doesn't make any fucking sense!" She looked ready to kick something in frustration, Yunan himself controlled his urge to criticize the child for saying a bad word twice in a row "They were able to gain different cultures and yet their language stays stagnant?! Even if they didn't reconnect with the other countries, their own language should have evolved over time because of local slang! What the hell? Why isn't it making sense? And why on earth are there no records of someone even trying to start a new language?!" _

_Yunan shook his head and wondered how to calm his child down, opting for the gentler approach and reminding her of property damage "Uhm… no need to get all excited. You might break something," Shirin pouted slightly, but made no other moves aside from that. Seeing this, he gave her a pat on the head and began speaking._

_Young people are so energetic these days._

"_That, I'm afraid, is the will of the Rukh," He said, very much prepared for the sour face his daughter made "Now don't you frown like that, Ririn. I understand that such reasoning looks lazy for you and that you don't like illogical answers. But that is honestly the only answer I can give you at the moment," Shirin's shoulders slackened at this "The will of the Rukh had stated that there would only be one language so that one day, there would come a time where they could reunite under one king,"_

_For a while, the child was silent, and Yunan almost thought that her barrage of questions were over for the day. But just before his weary shoulders could slacken slowly, his daughter looked up and, with the infuriating curiosity of a child, asked:_

"_Then why did it let them separate in the first place?"_

_Yunan closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them and patting her head, unknowing of just who he was comforting by doing so._

_Because Solomon treasured the different cultures of the beings who resided in it._

_Because this would allow more diversity in terms of a human's morality._

_Because that man may not have believed that having just a single culture was a good thing._

"_That something…even I am uncertain of,"_

_The sun was nowhere in sight in the place they called home. There were no birds singing, no children playing, no one to talk with and nowhere to play in. It was a place isolated from society and all that it brought._

_And yet, despite that, the questions society and the world itself had created had plagued its way all the way down here as well, in his own home._

_Yunan smiled grimly before offering to carry half of the books back to the archives with his sullen daughter. The girl, who had gotten over the disappointment after a few moments to herself, grinned at him pleasantly. _

"_**Then why did he let them separate in the first place?"**_

_Why…indeed…_

"_**Because it is the will of the Rukh,"**_

_Yunan smiled._

_Like Father, like daughter, he supposes._

* * *

**? (Original World) – 1****st**** Dungeon Baal – Unknown**

I blinked

"Wow," I mouthed, anxiety ebbing away as we stepped into what I mentally called 'the safe zone'.

Stone pillars lifted the second floor of the building along with its curved ceiling, giving off an ancient roman impression. Piles and piles of stone monuments in the form of treasure and jars laid scattered at our sides. And to add the cherry on top, natural light was shining through the open gaps of the ceiling, giving the impression of the surface not really being as far as people thought it was. This particular addition to the architecture made me wonder whether this room in particular was meant to bring hope to the previous settlers of the city, or it could be that it was actual light which was passing through the open portals Ugo had created, a clear sign of escape.

Sinbad let out a whistle, and Drakon looked around as if the grandeur of the place wasn't anything abnormal for him to see. Going by his status and where he lives though, that was probably a given.

"It would seem as this is the final room," I heard the Commander speak after he scanned the inner walls of the building. Sinbad seemed to jolt at the implications of that sentence, blinking away the awe from his eyes and bringing back his usual light of completion. I on the other hand, sighed in exhaustion.

"Finally," I mumbled more to myself than to the two boys as I let out a yawn and wiped the sweat threatening to fall from my forehead "For a second there I thought…one of us would collapse from all the…running and fighting you guys did,"

Sinbad gave a huff beside me, clearly trying not to look as tired as I knew he was "If one of us did collapse, it would be you," He said with a tired grin "And you didn't even lift a finger!"

Too tired to fight back, I just barked out a laugh "What'd you…what'd you expect from a four year old? At least I didn't tire myself out by running around in circles like some purple headed…idiot,"

"I told you I was surveying the area for more monsters!" He bit back, how the hell does he have enough energy to do that?

"Riiight," I drawled on as by vision blurred from exhaustion, why am I even having this conversation with him anyways? I just want to get things over with already. We've wasted too much time in this dungeon for me to feel safe. I already know that things won't always go by the book around here, just thinking of whatever screw up might happened if we spent more than three months here is horrible. I have to do something about that. "Hey, Sinbaka," I started, feeling the edges of my vision blackening out as I let out a yawn "If…If you're looking for that…that power. Its over-," Suddenly my vision blacked out for a moment and I stumbled in panic, steadying myself with the help of the pair of arms that wrapped themselves around me in panic.

"Whoa, you okay there, kiddo?" Sinbad asked as I blinked the blurry surrounding from my eyes. From my line of view, I saw the Rukh fluttering around us worriedly.

"Just got a little dizzy," I told him with a groan, once again cursing the weak stamina of a child, at least I collapsed at a safe zone though, if that's what you can call the area with the master of this dungeon. I bit my own lip hard to try and get some stimulation back into me "It doesn't matter right now, Sinba-,"

I cursed when my own knees gave way when I tried to stand up, only for Sinbad to prop me up again.

"Hey hey, when I said you'd be the first to collapse, I was just joking!" He said with a soft voice that reminded me so much of Esla's voice and did Sinbad actually get a male version of his mother's voice or something cause that would be really cool and what the hell is my mind making me think of? Focus Shirin! FOCUS! "C'mon! Don't black out now!"

"M'not blacking out…," I mumbled, stupid four year old body. It's got an awesome sense of timing, now my brains too fuzzy to think straight. "Anywa-,"

"Yes you are! Agh, c'mon, let's get you somewhere where you can rest first," With that, I felt the arms that were wrapped around me lift me up. I grumbled at getting cut off by him and tried again.

"Sinbaka," I groaned "...It's on the platform,"

I cursed again when I realized that he couldn't hear me.

"This looks like a good spot…," Sinbad mumbled before lowering me down and resting my back against one of the pillars, making me realize just how much my back ached before. Now that the anxiety was gone and we were close to getting home, all the adrenaline that was pushing me throughout the dungeon was ebbing away, leaving me as tired as a normal four year old would be in the face of a situation like this.

It sucks.

"Need anything?" Sinbad asked, making me frown. I so wanted to bite back a retort of how he didn't even bother to bring anything in case Esla might need it, but settled for once again trying to get my message across.

"I need you to get back on track," I spoke back, but held no spite in my words "You need to get up there _now,_" Feebly, I pointed at the place the metal vessel was in and let out a sigh of relief when Sinbad blinked and followed my finger towards the twin staircases and widened his eyes at the implications.

"How do you-?" Sinbad cut himself off with a shake of his head "Stupid question. You probably know more about this dungeon than I do anyways,"

I couldn't help but snort at that, pinching my arm tightly to keep myself awake "Of course, the fact that it's pretty much seated on an elevated throne helps a lot in realizing what it was,"

To my surprise, Sinbad only laughed "If you could still make quips like that, I'm guessing you're still sane," He said. But soon enough his face changed into one of seriousness "But really, you okay?"

I sighed, satisfied that I was able to get my message across, but not so satisfied when I found that Sinbad _still _wasn't moving "…Yeah, just a little tired, that's all,"

Sinbad snorted at my statement "Kids don't collapse from just being 'a little tired'," I groaned because, god, was he really pushing this? If we don't get out of here now...

"Godammit, Sinbaka" I snapped impatiently, not even bothering to change the curse with the name of their god "Can you just go and get the freakin thing already? It's not like I'd die the moment you turn your head around and all,"

Sinbad's face only seemed to scrunch up at my statement though. For a moment, I wondered just what he was seeing in front of him. I was positive that I was looked like my worst today with all the running and panic attacks I had going through the dungeon, and my eyes were probably still swollen from that earlier breakdown I had. Topping all of that with the fact that there should be some monster blood on my skin or cloak due to some of the nastier ones being killed near my hiding spot, it must have been a real _sight_ to see.

Perhaps that's why I wasn't surprised by the boy's following words

"Are you sure?" He asked warily, something I've never seen him do in both the manga and now "If it has something to do with your earlier breakdown…,"

I blinked groggily at him

…

…

…

…oh…OH

"…You're still thinking about that?" I grimaced, my shoulders slumping at the memory "I get that it must have been a shock for you and all – believe me, it was a shock for both of us – but it wasn't really a big deal, I panic easily,"

"'Not a big deal' she says," Sinbad had the gall to roll his eyes "Kid, you weren't _breathing_," If I wasn't too tired, I would have flinched

"...I was in a shock, that's it, it's normal," I said plainly, through I couldn't seem to find it in myself to look him in the eyes. "I'd feel much better once we get out of this dungeon though,"

Sinbad took a breath, and looked at me straight in the eye. Any form of words escaping my mouth vanished then, as if taken from me specifically so that I would listen to his words.

"…Look, I'll be honest, I hate that attitude of yours," I had the gall to roll my eyes, making Sinbad scoff but pressed onwards anyways "But you're still a kid, and your dad still left you with me to take care of you. So you've got to tell me if something's wrong! I don't know 'bout you, but I don't want to panic over a kid who forgot how to breathe again," And God, did I flinch at that.

"I'm fine," I said again, like a broken record because I...

I...

"Were you scared?" Sinbad said, through judging from his tone of voice, he already knew the answer "Were you scared because of what was inside this dungeon? Because of the monsters that lived in it?"

"Or was it because you thought you were gonna die there?"

My breath hitched.

"...Oi...," I muttered, my body aching from the quickening pace of my heart and the circulating of blood through my tired body.

"You thought you were gonna die here," Sinbad repeated cruelly, as if stating a fact "Because your father threw you in,"

"That's...," I bit my lip

"It's normal to be afraid of death, Shirin!" Sinbad spoke out, the Rukh around him were agitated, as if they agreed to the things he was saying "What ain't normal is how you holding it in! You're a child! You shouldn't be shouldering these kinds of feelings for too long! What happens if you burst and there's no one there to-,"

"**Sinbad, that's enough,"**

For the first time, I saw Sinbad's mouth snap shut and the Rukh quiet down.

I wanted to snarl at him, call him a hypocrite for saying this to me, expecting me to shoulder my burdens on him, a stranger, when he wouldn't even shared his burdens with his own mother. Shout at him for talking as if he knew everything he needed to know about me when we only met a few days ago. Scream at him for even thinking that I needed his help in solving my problems.

But I didn't, I couldn't.

Because there was a voice in my head whispering in a sad tone that doing so was stupid.

Because the voice was saying that I would have been an equally hypocrite of a person if I said those to him

Because I knew that he was doing this because he was worried about me

I wanted to cry inside, but instead, I just grimaced"...Am I seriously having this conversation again? Oh the morbid Irony," I spoke mostly to myself as a distant memory threatened to cloud my vision. I looked back up towards the surprised boy in front of me and grimaced again. Where the hell did all this come from anyways? Is he seriously asking a four year old these things? I thought he was a more "Act first, talk later" kinda guy, not _this._

"...Sorry," I apologized, my own exhaustion backing away for a moment as I tried to stand up again, this time successfully "But we really have more important things to take care of than a therapy session."

If Sinbad flinched from the harsher than usual tones I used, he didn't show it. He just frowned even more and scratched the back of his head.

"...Is it that hard to rely on someone?" Sinbad spoke to me "...You wouldn't have been this riled up if you just trusted that me and Drakon would keep you safe,"

_Say the pot to the kettle _I shook my head to clear it a bit more. But outside, I stayed silent.

"What I'm trying to say is...," For once, he looked like he was at a loss for words, what happened to the confidence this boy was meant to have? The one that propelled him into this fate he chose for himself? "I'm right here; you can rely on me to get you out of here. You not alone in this dungeon,"

I watched as his face softened and his eyes mist from memories I may never know of.

"We got into this mess; we get out of this mess. That's how I work,"

I...

"...I'll think about it," I sighed as I let my eyes wander to anywhere but his face. Truthfully, I was grateful for his worry. Even in the face of exhaustion, he still found the time to look after a kid that he really didn't need to look after and even ask if something was wrong. As much as I hate the guy in the future, I'd have to say that I respect this side of him, the side that cares for the people under his watchful gaze. But this really isn't the time for heartfelt conversations though, and I scanned the area hoping to find something that would change the flow of the conversation and hopefully forget about this whole thing.

It came faster than I expected.

I blinked for a second when I spotted a familiar head of green hair across the room. "Besides, I don't think now is the right time for this,"

Sinbad frowned, confused, before turning his head to my line of sight and freezing.

There, walking towards one of the twin staircases towards what we knew was where the true vessel lies was Drakon.

"...Oh Shit!" Sinbad cursed out loud. I on the other hand, blinked at this change of plot. I suppose since Sinbad busied himself with me, Drakon had more time to scour through the area and logically went towards the staircases when it was made clear that everything here was made of stone. I frowned; this shouldn't change the overall outcome though, right? Sinbad's way too determined to lose.

_Plus, he has 'destiny' on his side_

"Better hurry up there, Sinbaka," I said, stretching a bit to wake up these sorry excuses for limbs, that snap of frustration was just enough to bring back the energy in my body "Or you can kiss that free crown goodbye,"

Sinbad turned to glare at me in a way all too familiar "Don't think were done here, brat," He said before snapping his head back "Dammit! Wait up Drakon!" Sinbad ran up to the commander, who promptly ignored him and walked faster, almost braking into a run even.

I laughed as I started walking.

Between us, the Rukh fluttered worriedly.

* * *

By the time I reached them, safely settled at the edge of the platform, Drakon had touched the metal vessel first.

The wind was howling

"GET DOWN!" Sinbad pushed the soldier down as a bolt of lightning shot out from the metal sheen of the vessel's surface and split itself further, creating a flurry of lightning that sailed across different parts of the room. Four of them bolted towards the corners of the building, striking on the stone jars until their rocky texture _melted _in the presence of the heavenly spears, showing underneath the smooth surface of gold.

The rukh were swarming

Two more bolts split, dashing across the surface of the building and then suddenly jumping up towards the two pillars closest to the door. The pillars lit up the moment the bolts melted into the stone. Glowing lines began to seep between the two pillars and began to curve into a familiar symbol on top of the doorway.

The Seal of Melchizedek. _The Wisdom of Solomon_

And as for the final bolt…

"Holy…," I mouthed as the final bolt shop up towards the heavens and through the ceiling itself, lighting the entire roof with a beautiful golden glow that bathed everything with a light so warm and so familiar that one would be convinced that there really was a sun up there and _it was just beyond our reach._

It was so beautiful. It was like staring up at heaven itself.

But the boys took no notice to this spectacle before them, for they were too occupied by the being that was emerging from the intense glow of lightning.

"**My Name Is Baal. The Djinn Of Wrath And Heroes,"**

The sheer power laced in his words froze me. Or perhaps _froze _was the wrong term here. Perhaps _killed _was a better term to use, since it pretty much sumerized this whole experience. In reality however, there really was no simple term to describe what I felt when I heard his voice.

I storm, I guess, is a good enough start.

Imagine being in the middle of a raging storm. You are alone, with no boat, no life preserver, and no way out. You don't know how you got there, or _why_ you had be there. You were lost and confused and so very scared.

You struggle to keep your head afloat, but the waves only push you down relentlessly as the sound of thunder and the spark of lightning refuse to allow you a moment of rest. Still, you struggle against the current, if only by instincts alone, instincts that bound you to the idea that you must keep your head afloat, because the things bellow the sea were much deadlier to you than the ones above it.

The storm does not care about your fear. It does not care about your struggle. It pushes you down regardless. Because that was its nature. That was it's _very being._

It is then you realize how insignificant you are compared to this force of nature, how easy it must be to simply drown you in its currents and bend you to their will.

You are completely helpless in the face of this fact. Because the moment you stop struggling is the moment you belong to the sea.

"**Who Will Become King?"**

For me, who was the youngest and the weakest in this dungeon, who held no conviction in gaining the power this place was offering, who was in front of a presence that was so much more powerful than anyone could ever be, that being's mere presence made me feel like this.

So it was a rather great shock to me how easily the two boys brushed this presence off and got to the matter of hand.

"**The one who will become king is ME!" **The boys said simultaneously, conviction clearly heard in their voices. As one, they snapped their heads towards each other, and whatever friendliness they acquired in their short journey was long gone in their postures.

"…I said it first. Don't interfere," Sinbad spoke coldly towards the commander.

The commander scoffed "You're the one interfering, I'm under imperial command," The boy stood in front of Sinbad, his eyes almost glowing from the light of the chamber "Back off, Commoner!"

I saw Sinbad flinch at the term he used and his anger only began to boil "Some Emperor!" He spat out with so much hatred that I was taken aback in shock "I won't give away any more power to those who trample on us citizens!"

In contrast to the anger vibrating through Sinbad's very being, the commander looked at him with only a slight crease of his eyebrows and the gritting of his teeth showing his true emotions "You Fool! That is implying that you are a traitor to your country!"

I watched as Sinbad closed his eyes for a moment, opening them only to find so much _conviction _and _reason _in them that one just couldn't help but become dumfounded by the sheer weight of his gaze.

"I don't care if you call that treason…but I've decided," He raised his hand and clenched it into a fist, and suddenly, it was like watching the sun rise right in front of you "I'll change this country _and _this word…**with my own power**!"

That was not a statement he spoke.

It was a_ fact._

And it frightened me, so very much.

(Just how predestined can a man's life be for this single line to become a _fact_?_)_

I stumbled forward.

"hey…," I tried to speak, but was promptly ignored as the soldier unsheathed his sword, prompting Sinbad to do the same.

(Just how far was he willing to go in order to make that a _fact?)_

The image of Drakon's bloodied body came into my vision, all beaten and bruised for fighting against a person who was declared by _fate _to win.

"_If he had not coerced the boy to entering the dungeon…he wouldn't…and I…would have-,"_

The image of Esla's dying breath clouded my mind, how she saw her husband in Sinbad during her final moments before giving her son the courage to continue on after her death, and how _lucky _Sinbad had been to hear her final thoughts and be with her till the end.

"_We got into this mess; we get out of this mess. That's how I work,"_

"Stop," I tried again, but they ignored me.

(Just what would he do in order to make his words become a _fact?)_

They were already thoroughly exhausted from their journey through the dungeon. They were weakened, with only their own conviction and respect towards their opponent keeping them from falling.

How was fate supposed to make it so that it would be Sinbad who won without fatally injuring Drakon? How on earth could I know whether or not it would actually _happen?_

_Am I just supposed to trust something no one could be sure off to ensure their survival?_

_Am I really just supposed to trust in __fate?_

What if their aim was a little off? What if they put too much weight in their swords? What if one of them slips and the other notices this and goes for the chance-

_Oh god, these children could kill each other._

_They could die_

They pointed their swords at one another, and fear welled up inside me. It wasn't fear for myself anymore.

It was fear for them.

They charged forward

I couldn't think.

"_STOP!"_

_*Klshuk!*_

The last thing I saw was their eyes widening as their swords swung towards me before my world faded into white.

* * *

When I awoke, I found that I was lying down in something hard. I opened my eyes and groaned at the hard surface, all the while wondering just what had happened.

"It would be wise if you did not move at the moment,"

"Wha- Gah!" I hissed when I felt pain sting my shoulder, cupping it involuntarily in order to ease the pain, only to flinch and draw back when I felt the texture of sliced clothing and this god awful liquid feeling when I touched the part that ached the most. I looked at the hand I held the shoulder with in horror.

There was so much blood….

_-looked down to where the pain was, and realized that it was coming from the bleeding hole in my chest-_

Calm down, Calm down. This isn't the same; the injury is not fatal this time. I'm not going to die from a shoulder wound.

_-but it hurts-_

"Steady your breathing, child. Should you wish for the blood to stop flowing,"

The voice said again, this time I looked up and-

"HOLY SHI-!" I tumbled backwards and accidentally fell on my injured shoulder, causing another string of curses that really should be coming out of a kid's mouth. From above, the looming face of the Djinn looked at me bemusing.

"The curses of the damned should not be taken so lightly by a child," He chided through it had little effect on me, who was still currently trying to process the fact that I was indeed, lying on one of the Djinn's hands. "And yet you speak them so freely, have you no shame?"

I balked in fear "s-s-s-sorry?" I stammered, still trying to process what the hell was going on. The features of the Djinn remained stoic.

"…rin! Shirin! Can you hear me!?

_Sinbad_

I practically snapped my head with how fast I turned my head and ran, reaching the edge of the creatures palm and looking down cautiously. There, feet's bellow me, was Sinbad and Drakon, both looking just as shocked as I was at this current situation.

"Guys!" I called out in relief when I realized that they have yet to start the match. Through my smile became a frown when I noticed the tense atmosphere between the two. Drakon looked shocked to say the least, and had this been set in the future, I could have sworn he was casting worried looks at Sinbad's direction. Sinbad on the other hand, took one look at me before proceeding to pale into shades I never thought possible. He looked absolutely horrified as he clutched the hilt of his bloodied sword.

Huh? Bloodied? But I could have sworn it was-

My shoulder began to ache, and my memories of the recent event resurfaced.

_Ah, that's right, I was stupid enough to come between them-_

Damn

"Shirin!" Sinbad called out, and I looked back down to greet the panicked expression on his face "Are you alright?!"

"Y-Yeah! I'm fine!" I replied, trying not to show just how much blood my shoulder was leaking. I looked back at both of them "C-Could someone tell me what happened?!"

"You should be the one telling us that!" Drakon cut in, his tone completely agitated in a way that seemed unnatural for him as he looked up at me. I winced. Something tells me he knows just how deep the sword drove itself in my skin. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be cruel enough to talk about it know "What were you thinking, coming between us like that?! Do you have a death wish?!"

I flinched at the tone of his voice "N-No..., I don't-,"

"They why did you come between us during our duel!? What happened to wishing to leave this place alive?!" I flinched again.

"Shirin, what happened?!" Sinbad cut the general off, leaving the general in a fuming mess "Why did you get in the way?! I could have seriously killed you!"

I tried to stammer out a reply, but was once again cut off by a deep voice.

**"That Is Enough,"**

All three of us were silent as we turned our heads back towards the being of power

**"The Actions Of This Child Matters Not. For It Is But Another Obstacle You Have Faced To Gain My Power. An Obstacle I Have Taken Upon Myself To Remove,"**

_Remove..._

A chill went down my spine when those words were uttered.

Judging from the looks of horror from both of the boys, they felt the same chill.

"What is the meaning of this, Baal?!" The authoritative voice of the General shouted in anger, his grip on the sword tightening painfully "Unhand her this instant!"

"She's not part of this!" Sinbad called out in worry, stepping forward ever so slightly, as if he was planning to do things the hard way "She was thrown in here against her will!"

**"It Matters Not,"**

Baal's voice echoed, his eyes glowing ever so dangerously.

**"You Will Continue Your Duel Until A Winner Is Chosen,"**

"...and if we refuse?" Drakon called out, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he gazed up at the monster in a prideful manner that could only be done by people of his heritage.

**"Then You Will Fall Here, Just As Your Men Have Fallen,"**

I watched in worry when Drakon balked at the mention of his men and even took a step back in shock, his face as pale as sheen as he stared at the Djinn, before quickly regaining his composure in a way that seemed much too quick to be anything but practiced discipline.

"...I see," Even from afar, I could tell that his silted eyes only narrowed even more as he gazed up at the being of power. Beside him, Sinbad frowned. Even from up here, I could tell that he was in the middle of fidgeting from the lack of progress and thinking deeply about his current action. Either way, however, the blood staining his sword would always prevent him from becoming completely immersed in his thoughts.

"And if a winner is chosen?" Sinbad started "What's gonna happen to Shirin once a winner is chosen?" He gazed up at the shadowed face of the grand being with eyes that looked like they could burn anyone who said something he did not approve of as he gripped his bloodied sword tighter. Drakon, his eyes still narrowed in contemplation, tilted his head slightly at the question, waiting patiently for the Djinn's answer.

I tried not to squeak when the hand I was lying one twitched ever so slightly as a low rumble of power came out of the Djinn's lips

**"That Would No Longer Be My Decision To Decide,"**

"...meaning...?" I muttered in confusion, before slowly realizing for myself the implications of his words, and sighed in relief.

_Of course that wouldn't be his decision to decide. He'd have a king by then after all._

I looked down; and found that Sinbad and Drakon had reached a similar conclusion. Sinbad let out a sigh of relief as the stiffness of his shoulders loosened. Drakon stood behind him silently. Due to the angle I was looking down at, I couldn't clearly see his face. Which is why is couldn't tell what he was thinking as Sinbad relaxed at the realization that the Djinn would not harm me.

But I could see his hands. And I could see his sword. And I could see both of these position themselves in front of Sinbad's unknowing back.

Drakon _moved _

"LOOK OUT!" I cried. Sinbad quickly turned towards my directing in alarm, barely missing the tip of the blade by a graze. In an instant, Sinbad leaped backwards, his posture agitated as he glared at the owner of the sword.

The sword that was aiming for the sailor's heart retracted back towards its owner, his movements calm and precise as he stood before Sinbad with terrifyingly blank features.

"...what the hell, Drakon," Sinbad spoke in a whisper, his words almost snarling in anger "That was dirty,"

"...This is a battlefield, there is no wrong when it comes to war," Drakon's voice was calm, like water, yet it held this horrible sting underneath that made it sound more like poison. Once again, he pointed his sword towards the boy who saved him. There was not a sign of agitation in his body "...Prepare yourself,"

Drakon leaped, his sword steadied like a lance-

-only to be blocked by the metal surface of Sinbad's blade.

"What happened to having a fair Duel!?" Sinbad glared as he blocked the sword and slashed sideways, breaking the block along with the assault "Too high up to even _think _of fighting a commoner in a fair fight, huh?! That's low!"

"Shut your mouth, expatriate!" He swung his sword again, no less perfect in form, no less deadly to its victim. Blow after blow he deals. Thrust, then slice, then arc. Sinbad growled as he tried to match him blow after blow, but there was only so much he could do against a trained swordsman with a seasoned sword. "I have delayed my mission for long enough! I will take the power and give it to my king, and he will use the power to end this war!"

"That's...That's bullshit and you know it!" Whatever sense of relief was long gone, and I watched in horror as Sinbad stopped his defensive act and started going for the kill "Dammit, I this is how you want to play it, then so be it!" I felt the breath in my lungs escape me when his blade grazed skin, creating a gash on the general's arm. Had the General not blocked the sword, it would have completely cut his arm off.

I leaned at the edge of the hand

"STO- agh!"

-Only for the fingers to curl themselves, causing me to roll back to the center of the hand.

"I will not have you interrupt their duel again, child" The Djinn spoke in a tone contrasting to the low bellow of thunder his other voice brought. I snapped my head at his direction, squashing my own petty fear just for a moment to bark at him.

"But they don't need to fight!" I screamed at him. I was boiling with anger. "Hadn't they already proven themselves when they got here?! What the hell will you gain by making them fight to the death?! I am damn well sure that you already know how good they are in fighting!" Idly, I realized that he had lifted his hand higher and that I was now right in front of the Djinn's face. He looked down at me with his inhuman eyes, but I was too angry to falter now.

"You are worried for them?" The Djinn asked "Both of them?"

I growled impatiently at the obvious question "YES!" I shouted in frustration when the Djinn refused to move an inch. Instead, he stared long and hard before speaking again.

"Then tell me child," The Djinn spoke "Who do you believe I will choose?"

My shoulder slackened instantly at the sudden question, blinking a few moments before answering "It's Sinbad, right?"

"And why do you believe I would choose him?"

"Because-," _Because it was fated to be _I clamped my mouth shut when those were the first words that came to mind. Squaring my jaw, I opened my mouth again "Because he...he deserves the power?" I faltered slightly in confusion. Isn't right that he gains the power? Because he... "Because he's...fighting for everyone's happiness?"

_That's...the reason why he won in the manga...right?_

"Does this mean that the other one is below the power I offer?" The Djinn spoke again "Does that mean that the man fighting the one named Sinbad is selfish and cruel?"

"N-No!" I balked at the idea that Drakon would be anything like that, if anything, he was the complete opposite of that "I-It's just, he doesn't want the power for himself! He wants to give it to his king to use in a war!"

"And is that not a noble act in on itself?" The Djinn spoke again, his head irritatingly tilting a few degrees to the right "To fight for one's country, to fight for one's people. Is it not a noble act to fight for the kingdom you believe in?"

"But the kingdom _isn't _good!" I felt the urge to pull the strands of my hair. At least, not the people currently running it "And Drakon's just being fooled into thinking he's doing the right thing! If Drakon succeeds and returns with the power, who knows what those puppeteers are gonna do?!"

The Djinn seemed to pause at my statement, probably understanding who I was calling 'puppeteers', before speaking again "Does this mean, child, that the power should be given to one, and not the other, simply because he does not fight for someone above him, but for someone below him?"

"...eh?" I paused, feeling confused all of the sudden.

"The one named Sinbad fights for his fellow villagers, and the one named Drakon fights for his King and his Kingdom," The Djinn continued "Are you suggesting that I give my power to the one named Sinbad instead of the one named Drakon, simply because the kingdom he fights for is tainted, when in fact, he as a person has shown values that are worthy for my power?"

"B...But," I stammered "He...He doesn't have enough resolve...to become a king," ...right? That's...that was the problem in the manga wasn't it...?

The answer I got was baffling.

"I am the Djinn of Wrath and Heroes," Even as the clash of battle rang below us, the Djinn did not let his eyes wander away from me "I choose those who bare their Wrath with _steel_ and _resolve_, so that when they unleash this Wrath to the ones who wronged them, it will smite them down with the force of Holy Lightning. I choose those who fight to _change_, for they are small and weak and still, they fight for others. And from those I have chosen, the one who bears both of these gifts will be my King, for they have the makings of a savior, a _Hero_,"

"It matters not to me if they are misguided, for those with the traits I seek will strive to improve themselves and others, and together, they will build a kingdom worth their hardships,"

_So this is how they choose who is worthy_

I couldn't help it, I gaped. I-I wasn't expecting this "...B-But he doesn't _want _to be king! He just wants your power! He wouldn't dream of ever standing against his king!"

"But he still dreams, and this dream has given him enough resolve to venture forth my domain and fight to _live_," Unlike the horrible rumble his earlier voice took, this one was gentler, softer, as if he was a father teaching his son about the world and it's mysteries. "That man's dreams are no less important than that of the man named Sinbad's. I have no right to sully the things that drove him to survive by choosing one over the other without letting him fight for it one final time. It is theirs to decide,"

My shoulders dropped an inch at his words, because for my anger, I couldn't find anything disagreeable. It _would _be wrong to just let Sinbad take the Djinn without giving Drakon a fighting chance. It was like someone outright telling him that, no matter how hard he worked and how devoted he was into fulfilling his mission, he was still only second rate compared to Sinbad. It wasn't...It wasn't something anyone would take lightly.

"But they...They could die...they could seriously die...," I spoke out flimsily, no longer understanding what I was saying myself. I just wanted to say _something. I just didn't want them to die _"Their just- Their so young and- and they look like they barely reached their 14th birthday! A-And yet their trying to kill each other?! That's just insane! Their just children! They shouldn't have to be fighting for their lives in this-!"

**"They Are Not Children,"**

I snapped my mouth shut.

"The one who will be my king is not a child who you can worry about and hold his hand, neither is his opponent," The Djinn said to me, his voice returning to its usual tone "You believe them to be children by age alone, but they have come into my dungeon willingly with resolve and had faced my trial head on with nothing but a sword and the clothes on their backs, it is clear to me that those two no longer see themselves as children, but as men. As such, what right do you – a child who has yet to face the full horrors of the world – have to instill the idea that these two are not worthy to be called men when they have rightfully earned the title, merely because they have not reached a certain age?"

I don't, I don't have right.

Slowly, I lowered my head, defeated and ashamed. There was nothing I could say to this being, nothing that I know wasn't wrong.

Is it...is it wrong to worry about them? Am I really just supposed to believe that both of them would survive despite the fact that they were fighting to kill?

Am I really just supposed to trust in something as obscure as _fate _when, even now, my actions are changing things?

From the distance, I heard the echoes of steel clashing.

Am I...really that useless in here...?

"It was not wrong of you to try and stop them,"

I looked up at the face of the Djinn Baal, a small smile was on his face. For a moment, I wondered why it looked like he wasn't used to smiling anymore.

"You were merely protecting the people you hold dear, and that itself is not wrong," Baal said to me "But you were blinded by your own beliefs and refused to see reason, and that in itself is a dangerous thing to do, for you and for others. By coming in between their blades, you have forced the one named Sinbad to harm you, something that was against his ideals. By attempting to spare them from physical injuries, you have haunted the man with the realization that he had harmed a child under his protection, even if it was accidental,"

I remembered Sinbad's face when I first looked down. His troubled eyes scanning the hand I was on, his shoulders trembling in panic, his hand gripping and out-gripping his father's sword, the same sword he used to injure my shoulder. I remembered all this-

-and promptly slapped myself in the face and groaned.

Baal stopped smiling.

"I fucked up, didn't I?" I groaned to myself in guilt, no longer caring that a being of power was right in front of me. "Goddammit, I seriously fucked his trip up big-time!"

"You are speaking vile words again, have you no shame?" Baal spoke

"Believe me, I'm just full of shame right now," I cried. I really do just mess things up, huh? Even when I wanted to fix things, I just make them worse. I really shouldn't have done anything in the first place "As in, I am literally _swimming _in a sea of shame right now,"

"You do not sound like you're in the brink of despair though,"

"Well I am! This whole trip and I've done nothing but be a burden and an asshole to Sinbad! And the one time I actually tried to help him – Because he _can't _stay in this dungeon any longer than necessary if he wants to see his mother one last time – I end up getting hurt in the shoulder by his sword! This wasn't supposed to happen!" I couldn't stop myself from crying, I was just so _frustrated_ by how much I was changing things in the dungeon and worrying because what if we take too long and by the time we leave Esla was already- "Things would have been way better for him I hadn't been in the fucking way all the time! If I hadn't been thrown into this place, this would have never happened! Just- agrh!"

I wish I was never reincarnated.

"Concerning that, might I ask how exactly you were thrown into my domain?"

"...huh?" I paused my rage thrashing at the unexpected question "Why do you want to know?"

I swear I saw the Djinn blink "Your presence has confused me, you see. I am under the impression that the magi had seen it fit to place my dungeon in a deserted island surrounded by seas. Despite that, the first innocent to step into my domain is a child much too young for any sane man to believe would be fine going through the trials of the ocean just to be near a place they are not ready to venture,"

"What has brought you to step onto the land my home was built on, child?" He asked again, and I blinked a couple of times. I so badly want to know how he found out that his dungeon was in the center of an island.

"I was supposed to meet up with my Nana- I mean father," I hastily corrected myself, knowing that the person before me knew what "Nanan" meant "So I hitched a ride with Sinbad, who was on his way to the island anyways,"

"And what is your father doing there?" He asked again, I frowned.

"He was the magi who told Sinbad about the power of the kings," I told him, noting the way the Djinn's eyes widened, before hesitantly adding "He was also the one who pushed me into the dungeon. I have no idea why though,"

"...Magi can have children? I was under the impression that their devotion towards their duty and king prevents them from having Romantic intercourse and bearing offspring," My face twitched when, of all the things I just said, _that's _what he picked up on? Opening my mouth again, I corrected him "No no, he just adopted me, that's all,"

_Magi don't have children? Why can't they?_

I wanted to ask, but found my mouth closing. I don't know why, but something tells me it's better to hear it from Nanan rather than anyone else.

I saw Baal use his free hand to grip his chin slightly, contemplating something I had no idea off. Listlessly, I tried to ignore the duel that was going on below, knowing that there was nothing I could do about it anymore. Instead I busied myself with staring at the cluster of Rukh fluttering around the area. I had been in the process of listening to the thing's whispers when a thought came to me.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" I tilted my head up to meet the eyes of the giant Djinn. Baal, snapping out of his train of thought, looked down at me questionably.

I faltered at the sight of the giant head before continuing "Um, Apparently, it came to my attention that – while the monsters in here seem to really like thrashing humans – none of them made an effort to harm me, why's that?"

The Djinn raised an eyebrow at the question before answering "I would have thought that the magi who raised you had told you of the dungeon's secrets. You certainly did not seem all that surprised by the strange things inside them," I grumbled, but gave no answer, seeing this, he continued.

"I am the lord of this domain, as such, I see and control all that is inside it," Baal said slowly "The moment I had realized that a child no older than four had stumbled into my domain against her will, I had commanded the dungeon against inflicting harm on you. I judge the warriors for their strength, not those who have no intentions of being judged in the first place,"

I let the new info sink in for a second, before questioning him "Then what of the soldiers who came here? I'm pretty sure most of them weren't keen on coming in this dungeon either way," I shivered when the carnage that was the soldiers of Partevia came to mind, I heard from Nanan that most of them were just simple farmers with families. I truly hope their wives or children never know of how exactly they died. "And the researchers that were from the first raid? I highly doubt they weren't as helpless as I was in the face of those creatures...,"

Of all the things I thought he would do, shrugging was the last thing that came to my mind.

"Reluctant as they are, they had still willingly entered my grounds in search of my power," Baal said blandly with a shrug, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "All those who have entered my domain with their own two feet will be tested. No matter who they are outside my kingdom, all men walk the same path of glory and death,"

"_**Your safe here," **_

"_**Your safe here, he knows that too," **_

"_**Just see for yourself, you are protected here,"**_

"...So this is what the Rukh was talking about..." I muttered to myself. The reason why Nana threw me in here was _because _he knew that Baal would never harm an innocent, much less an innocent child. Looking back, the only injury I really have is the cut on my shoulder, and there really was nothing Baal could do against an unplanned assault aside from taking me away from the fight entirely. Aside from this injury, I'm really only exhausted.

I felt a weight lift from my chest at that realization, and I smiled in relief.

From below, the sounds of battle ceased

_...But then..._

"It would seem as the winner has been decided," The low voice of the Djinn echoed, but for some odd reason, it didn't sound so suffocating anymore. Quickly, I ran up to the gap between his thumb and index finger and looked down to find both men collapsed on their knees, bruised and battered in ways I was pretty sure was way worse than in the manga. Drakon's hand was bruised blue black and – unlike Sinbad's equally injured hand – was not gripping a sword. For the sword he used to strike the first blow of the battle was pinned to the ground so hard that cracks had formed on the marble surface. Sinbad looked worse for wear than in the manga too, his arms were bleeding and his clothes were in near tatters. He was breathing in and out heavily and looked like he was ready to collapse. But for some reason, he wasn't collapsing, for some reason; he just wouldn't stop staring at the sword that was pinned in front of him, as if he just couldn't believe it was there. Finally, he broke his gaze from the noble sword and towards the man who owned it.

_...if that's the case..._

The smile on Sinbad's face seemed to shine beneath the bruises despite how surprisingly soft it seemed from afar.

_...what made Nanan think it was better to keep me in a dungeon than return me to our home...?_

"...Drakon," Sinbad's voice was broken with exhaustion and blurry due to the bruise on his lips, but it was still enough for the General to recognize his name and look up "Thanks' a lot,"

I blinked

Drakon scoffed something I couldn't hear. But apparently, it was funny enough for Sinbad to attempt laughing, only for his gut to ache and cause him to fully fall to the ground.

Drakon in turn, attempted to get up, only to fall completely onto the ground as well.

...

...They aren't getting up.

I blinked, and Baal chuckled like an old man.

"Haha! Such an interesting pair of candidates I have! These two truly are worthy of my power!" He laughed, and for the third time, I blinked.

What happened while we were talking?!

* * *

**? – 1****st**** Dungeon Baal – Unknown**

"OW! That hur- OW!"

"What did I tell you about not moving!?" The child shouted at the patient, uncaring that it was against regular etiquette as she once again drove the needle and thread through the edges of skin to make one more incision on his arm "The General didn't move when I stitched him up! Stop being a baby already!"

Erratically, she gestured towards the soldier leaning on a pile of gold. Sinbad couldn't stop the dead pan that came at the gesture.

"He lost consciousness around the third stitching," And he was at his _fourth._

"And yet he didn't complain about it the moment it started, unlike a certain Sinbaka!" She chastised as she closed the incision, before pausing for a moment to say in a more neutral voice. "Besides, seeing your current condition, what's causing your pain isn't the stitches, it's the alcohol solution I coated the string, needle, and your skin with,"

Sinbad frowned "And that's different _how?_"

"Well isn't there a saying that anything that's supposed to heal you hurts like hell? Now shut up already,"

"That's not how the saying goes!" He hissed when she closed the stitching and started applying a healing agent on the wound "It's 'things that heal you taste horrible'!"

"Eeeh? Ain't that the same thing?" She said placidly as she began rewrapping the arm in bandages. The sailor let out a breath of relief when the tightness of the bandages eased some of the sting he had from the incision. He frowned for a moment, wondering why a four year old girl knew how to stitch wounds closed neatly, but decided against asking due to knowing that she would just change the subject again

.  
"It's not," He replied to her despite knowing that she was just joking, that girl has a twisted sense of humor if she's joking about stitches of all things "If it hurts, than that means you were injured and your body's trying to fix you. But medicine almost always tastes bad because the healers don't bother to add flavoring to make it taste better,"

"Oh really?" She drawled again, her tone clearly telling him that she was just humoring him, trough it was nice to see her smile despite the exhaustion "I'll take that into account the next time I stitch up another poor idiot,"

Sinbad barked out a laugh, on his side was his father's sword – or should he call it his metal vessel now? – Which was now clean of blood and grime. His smile, however, faltered when his gaze moved from his sword towards the tiny girl's shoulder, and frowned completely when he was reminded of that moment when the one who met his blade was not his opponent, but his charge.

_That wasn't supposed to happen. Nothing is making any sense._

"Hey," Sinbad called out to Shirin, who was in the process of moving back towards Drakon to further tend to his injuries while he was unconscious. Sinbad winced for a moment when he saw his companion's bandaged hand and remembered how bloody it was underneath the medical bandages. He didn't expect the fight would escalate _that _far. He was certain that it was supposed to be- Sinbad shook his head and purged on "How's your shoulder doing?"

Shirin blinked back at the King – and didn't _that _have a nice ring to it? – Candidate and brought her gaze back towards her shoulder. Perhaps it was due to how red her traveler's clothes were, but the rip on her shoulder was as plain as day, and gash even more so. Do to the angle Shirin had appeared from and the trajectory his blade was heading at, the gash was vertically diagonal to her shoulder, spreading down her back to the peak of her shoulder bone. Fortunately, Sinbad had withdrawn his blade quick enough to prevent it from touching the bone, but that didn't stop it from being a serious injury due to the excessive bleeding.

The kid was only four years old, she doesn't have that much blood yet. _She could have died then._

Probably seeing the worry in his face, the child spoke "It's not as bad as it looked really," She said, pulling back the rip slightly to reveal that the gash was already bandaged, when she did that, he didn't know "It's definitely not as life threatening as the shit you two pulled as a duel while I was up with Baal,"

Sinbad squared his jaw at the statement. Both of them knew that the Djinn was talking to her, they would sometimes hear the soft echo of Baal's voice while they were fighting. What they were talking about, however, didn't seem to matter to Drakon, who had muttered something along the lines of Shirin's father and the dungeons or something before coming at him with even more power in his thrusts. Truthfully, he was curious as to what those two were talking about; something inside him tells him that whatever their conversation was, it was important in some way.

But really, he could do that later.

"Why did you come between us anyways?" Shirin was in the middle of inspecting the incredibly large bags of gold that were clustered around them when he asked, causing her to pause from her line of thought and look back at him. The frown on her face was obvious. "What were you thinking?!"

"I-...," Shirin trailed off, and for a moment, Sinbad though that he'd have to force it out of her because _damn _did her actions give him the scare of his life. Fortunately for him, she took a breath and continued, slumping slightly in defeat "...I'm sorry, I guess I really wasn't thinking then,"

"You could have seriously died there, you know," He said to her, not mentioning the fact that this was the first time she willingly apologized to him. "I could have seriously injured you," He _did _seriously injure her though. _He injured an innocent child-_

"I know, I know," She said irritably as she held her fore head in exasperation "It was just-...You guys were-...argh, how the hell do I say this?!" She fumed. Sinbad blinked at the sight of the child becoming a fumbling mess as she tried to say things but failed to let them leave her mouth. He cocked his head to the side before assessing her behaviour before, during and after the fight.

It really only took him two seconds to realize what she was trying to say.

"You were worried about us?"

Shirin flinched. _There we go _

"How'd you-?!" She snapped towards his direction. Seeing this, Sinbad smiled. Shirin wasn't the first person he knew that couldn't say what was on her mind. Back in the days when the scars of his father's words were fresh in the minds of the blind and they were still slowly trying to break out of their Solomon-forsaken ideals, he and his mother would aid them in their time of dilemma by consoling them and lending a helping hand to their distress. Women, Children, Elders, He and his mother had become used to picking out mannerism and habits that point out these villager's true emotions. And while technically speaking, his mother was much better in the consoling part than he was; Sinbad prided himself in his ability to read them by their flow.

Of course, it helped that he was cheating a bit. But no one has to know about _that_.

"Just do," He cut her mid-sentence with a toothy grin, before loosening his smile into something more genuine, if not slightly sad "Still, even if you were worried about us, it was still a dumb move for you to get in between us like that,"

He watched as the mini-healer seemed to twitch and coil as she tried to come up with something to say, only to inevitably let her shoulders sag in defeat when she couldn't think of anything decent to say "...I'm sorry." She apologized again. For the first time since he met the child, there was a resigned air surrounding her "It's just- You two were already worn out from getting to the central hall in the first place. E-Even if you didn't want to kill the other, y-you might actually miss and h-hit someplace vital or get too tired to d-dodge...," Shirin mumbled with her bangs over her eyes and her head lowered, looking very much like a misbehaving child being scolded by an adult. Sinbad grimaced.

He wanted to tell her that her worries were all in her head and that she should have trusted him and Drakon more to not kill the other, and yet the words could only die in his throat. It had certainly been his intention to win without having to kill his temporary comrade, Asshole as he was, he was still a person and he still helped him and Shirin on their quest to the ends of the dungeon. More than that, Sinbad had trusted him to keep his back safe from enemy attack and had trusted him to protect Shirin while he surveyed the area, such trust makes it difficult to land a fatal blow on his opponent.

He hadn't expected said opponent to snap under the pressure though, and charge ahead for the kill.

Perhaps 'snap' was the wrong word to describe it though. When he first locked blades with the general after the incident his charge had caused, he wanted to scream and yell at the foolery of etiquette his opponent was so proud of showing, only for his breath to be cut short when he finally met eyes with him and realized that there was little he could do now. He had seen those eyes before, after all. Back when the next war was still beginning and they were once again rallying the weary men together to fight the war. One soldier – a soldier from their home nonetheless - had visited a family with a single man and an elderly couple due to said man refusing to join the war due to his worry for his parent's condition. At first the man pleaded to the soldier to let him go, for he and the soldier were actually good friends who aided each other in the war. But in the end, the man was forced to leave with the soldier and had died in the war not long afterwards. Sinbad was but a child then, unable to understand the blank face the soldier had as he carted his comrade in arms off to a war that would eventually lead to his demise. It was his father, Badr, who pointed out the eyes of the soldier for his son to ingrain into his soul.

"_Those are the eyes of someone who has given up on life, Sin," _His father's words resounded from deep within him _"They've given up in anything but fighting due to life itself being too painful to understand,"_

To no longer care whether what you are doing is right or wrong and merely swing a sword for someone else. To thrust blindly at your opponent despite knowing that they should also have a family waiting for them outside the bloody fields. To kill another, ignoring the fact that this death is horrible and no longer justifying to yourself that it is for a greater cause.

Because you _must _do it. Because it has to be done. Because the other option aside from killing is killing yourself in disgrace.

It was the eyes of a soldier who has killed someone he had no desire to kill, and is expected by everyone to kill again.

It was the eyes of a soldier who wanted to _live on._

For a moment, Sinbad wondered what the general was thinking to put him into this state. To disregard his own feelings of comradeship and allow the coward's blade to strike, all for the sake of a kingdom that had allowed him and a hundred or so men to die in a place far beyond their reach. Was his loyalty to his kingdom _that _strong? Did he truly believe that his actions were just? Was he really under the impression that such a thing must be done? Or was there another reason to his actions?

Sinbad shook his head when he realized that he was letting his mind wander too far. He had already got his answer for those questions from the boy himself anyways.

Instead, he looked back to Shirin, who was fidgeting at the sudden silence he was giving her, and spoke out loud.

"I wouldn't have let that happen," He told her straight up "No matter what goes on during a fight, I wouldn't let a comrade be killed," He looked back towards the severely injured general and grimaced "Even if said comrade didn't have the same plans,"

"…I knew you'd say that…,"

"Huh? What was that?" Sinbad asked when the girl's mumbling became too soft for him to hear, only for the girl to grumble incoherently and lower her head. Sinbad blinked at the sight, she must have felt really guilty for going through that if she's still sulky about it.

Sinbad smiled, and got up.

"It's okay kiddo," he watched as the tiny healer flinched when he let his hand lay itself down on her hair in a comforting pat "Your safe, and that's all that matters,"

"…Sorry…," she repeated again, not looking up at the sailor at all. He crouched down to meet her in the eyes and gave her a grin when she looked up to meet her eyes.

"It's okay, alright?" He said again, still patting her head "C'mon now, where's that little ball of energy that pulls on my hair just to piss me off?"

"Of course, whenever you try pulling my hair, you always end up falling on you but afterwards because you don't know how to climb," He continued "Doesn't stop it from getting annoying though,"

His grin only grew when she started to chuckle slowly "As if you get pissed off by just that…those kids in your village practically use it as a swing sometimes,"

"Well, at least my hair is strong enough to hold it, right?"

"Hah, not really. You know if that keeps up, you're gonna end up bald once you reach your twenties,"

"Haha, oh real- Wait. What?!"

Bald?!

_Bald?!_

"…Hah! You didn't know? Their practically signing your contract to eternal baldness with how often they do that!" Shirin began to grinned "Imagine! Youngest person to conquer a dungeon, bald by the age of twenty! Think of all the women who would run from you and that shiny head of yours?!"

...Bald...Bald...him...Bald...

_Solomon, the images._

"N-No way! Their no way that would happen! I ta-," He stopped himself short when he saw the gleam in the little girl's eyes.

"You _take care of it_?" She continued his sentence with a mischievous grin "No wonder it looks better than a woman's! Who knew the _great _and _manly _Sinbaka cared about his hair that much? What beauty products do you use, Sinbaka? It must be hard to keep such a _fabulous _mane flowing so freely like that!"

The hand he used to pat the child's head soon found itself home over his face. If only to hide his own grin.

This was good, he supposed.

"…hey, Sin,"

Sinbaf blinked and looked up, finding the girl standing in front of him just a few meters away. She was smiling.

"Thanks," She said "For…everything, I guess,"

Sinbad blinked once to comprehend her words, blinked again when he realized that this was the first time she ever thanked him for anything, then blinked again before returning her smile with one of his own.

"Anytime, kiddo,"

That one word was drowned by the sound of silence, as light began to bid them with its holy glow.

And they were gone.

* * *

** …**

**…**

**...This wasn't supposed to happen... **

* * *

The first thing he realized when he got back was that he was lying on a large bag of gold.

The second thing he realized was that someone was shouting behind him, causing him to look behind him in confusion.

The third…

The third…

The…third….

"Shi-SHIRIN!"

Sinbad leaped from the bag of gold and took out his father's sword desperately as he ran. The child, frightened and shocked, turned around at the sound of her name.

But

As

She

Turned

_*Klshuk!*_

Sinbad watched in horror as metal clashed with skin.

And Shirin _screamed._

* * *

**Did I forget to tell you that it was a cliffhanger? I believe I did that on purpose.  
**

**In all seriousness though, the reason why it's a cliffhanger is simple: 1. I have realized that the maximum number of words I can write before hitting a wall is 11-12,000 words, meaning - for this fanfic only maybe - I will not stop until my chapter reaches that peak. But when I reach it, it gets difficult for me to continue once I realize how much content I had planned to add. So when I realized that I already reached 13,000 words and that I was only in the latter middle instead of the near end, I decided to stop, as forcing myself to write more ends up with me procrastinating again.**

**The second reason?**

**It was a nice place to end a chapter, no?**

**On another topic, how do you like the scene with Shirin and Baal? It was a scene I was meaning to do since I began the arc, as it was one of the seeds to Shirin's character growth. Plus, I always wanted to know what their epitaphs stand for, and the idea that those terms were actually the things they look for in their chosen king was the thing that made the most sense to me. **

**As for Baal, I wanted to show just how powerful and scary he was as a djinn, but also how wise and just he was as a king. It's rather poetic now that I think about it, seeing how the Djinn's were technically Kings Themselves, who in turn choose a king to lead the world Solomon - Their own king - created. If the king is like the president, then their like the supreme court.**

**Anyways, that's all I want to say so far. **

**Read and Review!**


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